To Walk the Forgotten Path
by AncientPowersThree
Summary: [AU season 6] Prue, Piper and Phoebe have a chaotic year ahead of them, filled with warrior maidens, aracnids and family secrets.  Can the girls figure out the deal behind their new whitelighter in time to help him fulfill his mission?
1. Oh My Goddess

Oh My Goddess

P3 was crowded as people tried to force their way inside. Phoebe sat at one of the tables across from an attractive guy. She was desperately trying to get him to sign up for the Bay Mirror Children's Foundation Bachelor Auction.

"I can see why Elise said I should talk to you," Phoebe said with a smile.

"You're smart, funny, charming, attractive...and have a lot of money," she giggled.

"I don't know," Evan murmured.

"Come on, it's a great cause and all you have to do is make a little tax deductive donation to match your lady's bid," Phoebe prodded.

"Will Ask Phoebe being doing any bidding?" Evan asked.

"Well you'll just have to sign up to find that out," she said with a smirk, pushing the pen and clipboard across the table towards him. He gave her a smile and wrote his name down.

Across the room Prue was not having much luck. She'd been having bizarre, fire and brimstone, apocalyptic dreams lately and it was all she could think about. She groaned as the guy she was talking to started to get up and leave.

"Is this some sort of religious charity?" he asked.

"No it's for children," Phoebe said, sneaking up behind him. He laughed nervously and made a quick exit. Prue just let out another groan.

"We're supposed to be signing people up, not scaring them away," Phoebe scolded.

"I know and I'm really sorry Pheebs," Prue apologized.

"I've managed to sign up...six people and you've got..." Phoebe trailed off, looking at her sister's clipboard.

"No people," she sighed.

"I don't know what is wrong with me," Prue grumbled as they both got up and headed outside and headed for the Manor.

Back at home Phoebe was fanning herself with the door in the sun room leading out into the backyard.

"Why can't we get air conditioning," she groaned.

"Because we live in San Francisco where it rarely gets above seventy five degrees," Piper answered from the couch.

"Well it's ninety so can we get it now?" Phoebe replied.

"If it weren't for this little expenditure here," Piper muttered, handing her sibling the phone bill.

"Wow...that's a lot of phone calls to Hong Kong," Phoebe murmured, feeling embarrassed.

"Yeah...it is," Piper agreed with her.

"It's just...I'm trying to figure out where Jason and I stand, you know," Phoebe tried to explain.

"I know sweetie. I understand," Piper assured her.

"Ok...why are you so happy?" Phoebe asked after a minute.

"What, can't I be in a good mood? Wyatt is finally sleeping through the night and Leo and I are...you know..." Piper retorted.

"Back in the saddle?" Phoebe interjected.

"So to speak," Piper said with a smirk.

"God I miss sex," Phoebe bemoaned. Just then Prue walked in.

"Phoebe, you aren't by chance having hot flashes again...like...with the Succubus?" Prue asked.

"I admit it's hot but no...Why?" Phoebe answered.

"I don't know...I'm still trying to figure out what these weird dreams mean. I mean...earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes. Maybe it's the four horsemen of the apocalypse again," she muttered.

"Sweetie, did you ever think that it might be just weird dreams you are having since you are still on hunt for demons pretty much 24/7?" Phoebe asked, a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"I am not on a demon binge," Prue snapped at her youngest sister. "I am telling you, these dreams are supernatural, not natural."

"Haven't you been having any premonitions Pheebs?" Prue asked a little exasperated.

"No…haven't had a premonition in a while…sorry," Phoebe said, still fanning herself. "Well I did have this one dream…" Phoebe started.

"Yeah…" Prue said interested.

"It was about Jason…" she said snickering.

"Oh so not funny Phoebe," Prue sighed.

"I'm going to hit the Book and see if I can find anything," Prue muttered after a minute, trying to stifle a yawn. With that she turned and headed upstairs, leaving her sisters in the sun room.

"You think she's on to something?" Phoebe finally asked.

"I don't know. But I have to go get ready for Darryl Junior's birthday party," Piper answered, standing up.

In another part of the world, a demon stood between a wall of ice, encasing two figures, one male and one female. He bowed his head before starting to recite an incantation.

"Emergo dormio Libertas caeles diccio," he incanted, the ice on the wall starting to crack and melt. He repeated it one more time and the wall shattered completely, freeing the two beings from their icy prison. The two beings looked at each other.

"How long?" Demetrius asked.

"Three thousand years, give or take a century," the demon answered. Demetrius looked shocked.

The demon opened his mouth to speak again but Demetrius seemed really angry. With a flourish the demon was engulfed in flames.

"I love it when you smite so unexpectedly," Meta breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. They shared a brief kiss.

"We have to find and free Cronus," Demetrius sighed. Meta pouted but said nothing.

Back in the city, Prue jumped excitedly as the crystal landed on the map. She knew Piper was busy so she needed to find Phoebe. Last she knew, Phoebe was down at the club, setting up for the auction. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes, projecting herself to the club. Prue's astral self spotted Phoebe and flagged her down.

"Are you crazy?" Phoebe hissed.

"No...I scried for evil and I found something. Get home as fast as you can," Prue stated.

Before Phoebe could say anything else Prue's astral self disappeared.

"I hate when she does that," Phoebe grumbled to herself, heading for the parking lot anyways.

Phoebe sighed as she got into her car. She couldn't just have one day of peace without Prue bothering her about some demonic something. Cole and the Triad….and the Source may be gone, but she is still gung ho for fighting demons. In a matter of no time, she arrived at the Manor. She hurriedly headed inside. "Prue!" she called out.

"In the attic!" Prue called back. Phoebe sighed, heading up to the attic. "About time you got here Pheebs. We have to go," Prue said handing her a jacket.

"Prue…where exactly are we going?" Phoebe asked as she pulled it on.

Prue didn't answer, just pulled on her own jacket and grabbed Phoebe. Phoebe gasped, the feeling of Astral Projection hitting her like a premonition, and the next thing she knew she was in an ice cave.

"Oh my god…" Phoebe complained, "It is freezing,"

"Oh suck it up," Prue sighed, and looked around. "See I told you there was something going on," she said triumphantly pointing to a scorch mark on the ground

"Ok...so a demon was vanquished. Big deal," Phoebe grumbled.

"Try and get a premonition off it," Prue demanded.

"But I don't have my gloves," Phoebe whined, her whole body shaking.

"Just suck it up,' Prue repeated. Phoebe rolled her eyes but stuck her hand over the scorched area.

"Anything?" Prue prodded.

"Yeah...frostbite now shush," Phoebe snapped. Suddenly she was pulled into a premonition.

"What did you see?" Prue asked as Phoebe stepped away.

"Two very large someones coming out of that wall," Phoebe replied just as the ground beneath them began to shake violently.

"Get us out of here," Phoebe yelped and Prue obliged her sister's request.

Meanwhile Leo, Piper and baby Wyatt were enjoying the atmosphere of Darryl Junior's birthday party. Piper and Leo sat together on a picnic table bench, chatting with Darryl and Sheila. Suddenly Leo looked up and groaned.

"Piper, I have to go," he whispered.

"Why? We just got here," she protested.

"I know...but it's the Elders," he murmured.

"Ok…well I would like to express to you that this makes me feel a little bit abandoned," Piper expressed.

"I acknowledge your feelings and I want you to know that I love you," Leo answered. Darryl and Sheila laughed behind their hands.

"What's so funny?" Piper asked.

"Marriage counseling. We did it too. We recognize the tools," Sheila answered.

"Yeah...I think I hate the tools. I'd rather snipe later than be open and honest about my feelings now," Piper admitted.

"Piper I really need to go," Leo insisted.

"Ok...go. I will see you at home," Piper sighed. Leo got up and headed for a secluded area to orb.

Prue's eyes popped open as she went back into her body, and got met with a very cold and angry Phoebe. "Thanks a lot Prue," she said sarcastically through chattering teeth, "My fingers are officially freezer burnt."

"Stop over exaggerating Phoebe," Prue sighed. "We need to find out who those two large someones were," Prue said to Phoebe, unaffected by the chills that Phoebe was feeling.

"No Prue…you will go check the Book of Shadows, and I will go get into warmer clothes," Phoebe chattered, and walked out of the attic. "Stupid Prue…with her astral projection, not being affected by Antarctic cold…" Phoebe murmured as she headed for her room.

Piper let out a sigh as she watched Leo walk away, and looked towards Wyatt who immediately became fussy as he saw his Daddy leaving. "Aw Wyatt…" Piper said picking him up, but he still didn't stop fussing. Piper gave Sheila and Darryl an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I think we'd better leave, Wyatt is already missing his Daddy,"

"It's ok," Darryl said understanding, "We'll see you soon," he said. Piper gave a small wave, as she walked towards her car, and Wyatt wouldn't stop fussing.

"Wyatt…Daddy is going to be back soon," Piper soothed, and he started to calm down. They finally reached the manor, and Piper saw that Prue and Phoebe's car was still there. Piper assumed Prue was up in the attic, and she and Wyatt went upstairs. They found her standing over the book.

"Still demon hunting I see," she commented, setting Wyatt's carrier down on the couch.

"Uh yeah. Phoebe got a premonition and we're just trying to figure out what the hell came out this ice wall," Prue muttered.

"Ice wall?" Piper asked just as Phoebe reappeared dressed in considerably warmer clothes.

"Yes...Prue projected us to some ice cave and I am now a Popsicle," Phoebe informed her older sister.

"I see," Piper sighed.

"What are you doing home anyways?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh...Leo had to go...the Elders called him and Wyatt started to fuss so I decided we should come home," Piper answered.

"Ah…" Phoebe said, still visibly shivering. "Hey buddy, your daddy will be home soon," Phoebe said to Wyatt, and Wyatt let out a tiny giggle, seeing Phoebe wrapped up in long sleeves in the heat wave. "Is he laughing at me?" Phoebe asked.

"It appears so," Prue said snickering, and Phoebe sent her a glare. Prue stopped at a page, and asked, "Phoebe was this what you saw?" Phoebe glanced at the page, and instantly shook her head.

"No…they were in like Grecian robes…really tall," Phoebe explained.

Just then Leo orbed in, looking at Phoebe oddly but didn't ask.

"A whitelighter has gone missing," he said.

"Hello to you too," Prue muttered.

"Missing like...missing how? Maybe he just clipped his wings," Phoebe suggested.

"We don't know," Leo sighed.

"Well Prue and Phoebe made a little expedition to an ice cave," Piper informed her husband. Leo just raised an eyebrow at his sisters-in-law.

"You know, maybe you should tell the Elders to ground all whitelighters until we figure out what happened to this other one," Prue suggested. Sure she was the first to detest the Elders but she knew the importance of whitelighters to their charges. Leo nodded and disappeared again in orbs.

"Here Pheebs, was it this one?" she asked, and Phoebe leaned over Prue's shoulder.

"Yeah…that would be them," Phoebe said, pulling her clothes tighter against her. Piper walked up next to them, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying that some evil has released the Titans?" Piper asked, shaking her head.

"Well according to Pheebs yeah…" Prue said studying the page. "And it makes sense, all these weather changes…my dreams…"

"Maybe we should wait and see if the Elders have anything to say," Piper said reluctantly.

"Since when have we ever waited for the Elders Piper?" Prue asked shaking her head and rolling her icy blue eyes. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen to begin writing down some potion ingredients that should vanquish the Titans. "Well it seems like they can be vanquished by a simple vanquishing potion,"

"Uh...the Titans seem pretty powerful, Prue. I mean...maybe even more powerful than the Source," Piper commented.

"Hello...Charmed Ones...most powerful source of good in the world. I think we can take on some mythological creatures," Prue snapped.

"There's that old pride of hers rearing its ugly head again. You would have thought that the sin ball incident would have cured her," Phoebe muttered loud enough for Prue to hear her.

"I heard that," Prue muttered.

Phoebe cringed as Prue glared at her. "I have been working on the pride thing, just so you know," Prue muttered.

"Ok…let's get these potion ingredients together…" Prue said, and they headed downstairs.

They stood together, mixing potions when Phoebe was suddenly hit with an idea.

"How are we going to get the Titans here? I mean...did anybody think of that?" Phoebe asked.

"Well...it sounds like they go after whitelighters. Maybe we could use Leo as bait," Prue suggested.

"We're not using my husband to lure the Titans," Piper protested.

"We could always use Wyatt," Prue muttered.

"Don't you dare, Missy!" Piper spat.

Well do you have any better ideas?" Prue asked. Piper let out a huff.

"No. But we will need to get Leo out of here as quickly as we can. I don't want them hurting him," Piper muttered. Once the potions were ready they headed back up to the attic. Piper took Wyatt down to the nursery.

"Leo!" Phoebe called. He appeared in orbs.

"What is it?" he asked. There was suddenly a fierce wind, depositing Meta in the attic.

"Get out of here," Prue ordered her brother-in-law, sending potions at Meta. He complied, disappearing in orbs. Not two seconds later there was another of orbs and a young man appeared, knocking Phoebe to the floor.

"Don't look into her eyes," he told her, flinging potions at the Titan. He continued to throw potions at Meta until she got fed up and disappeared. He helped Phoebe up and she looked at him weirdly. "Um…thanks, and you are?"

"Chris…Chris Perry," he said simply, and then he turned to where Prue was and cringed.

"Prue…" Phoebe said shocked, as she was met with a life-sized statue of where Prue was. "Is she…?"

"Don't worry she is ok," Chris said taking his sunglasses off.

"How do you know?" Phoebe asked.

"Well in my time…Prue didn't make it when Meta attacked…" Chris explained.

"You're telling me my sister could have died?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. In the future, Prue died on this day. And so did the Power of Three. The Titans took over and just...it wasn't pretty," Chris lied. If it got them to trust him faster, he didn't mind lying.

"Ok...so uh...how do we change her back?" Phoebe asked just as Piper walked back in.

"What happened...where's Leo...who is he?" Piper rambled.

"Leo is safe...Prue is a statue and this...is Chris...he's from the future," Phoebe answered.

"Just like twenty years or so," Chris added offhandedly.

"Friend or foe?" Piper hissed.

"Not really sure yet," Phoebe muttered.

"What? Hello...I helped save Prue. If I hadn't orbed in when I did she would have died," he called, following them downstairs.

"You call that saving?" Piper snorted.

"Wait...you orb? You're a whitelighter?" Phoebe scoffed.

"Yeah," he said under his breath, and they didn't notice Chris walking back into the attic with the statue of Prue.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash downstairs Phoebe and Piper ran the rest of the stairs to see what had happened..

"What are you all doing here?" Piper asked, irritably.

"Sorry about that...we'll pay for it," one of seven dwarfs apologized.

"Well the Titans are on the loose," he added in response to her question.

"So you just...came here?" Phoebe inquired. They all nodded and Piper groaned. She started herding all of them into the sun room. Once they were all in the room, Piper turned to look at Phoebe.

"Where's Chris?" she asked, just now noticing his absence.

"Upstairs...with the Book," she answered, panic rising in her tone.

"You keep an eye on our magical houseguests. Herd them into the basement or something. I'll go see what future boy is up to," Piper ordered.

Piper trudged back upstairs and saw Chris thumbing through the book. "Hey…what do you think you are doing?" she snapped irritably.

"I am trying to find a way to save your oldest sister," Chris sighed still not looking up from the book. "And we better get her back to normal soon, because you guys are going to need to fight the Titans."

"I am aware of that, but I am more than capable of checking the book myself," Piper said angrily.

"Do you still think I am evil?" Chris asked raising an eyebrow. "I am touching the book, isn't that proof enough?"

"The book has been tricked before," Piper shot back, walking over to the pedestal that held the book. Chris just shook his head. She had always been stubborn.

"What do I need to do to show you that I'm good?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"Because seriously, you're lucky Leo wasn't the third whitelighter victim," Chris added.

"Third? There was only one," Piper snapped and he just raised his hands.

"By the way, you need to update your Goblin entry. I could come in handy one day," he added.

"Goblins?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yeah…it's pretty ugly, trust me," Chris explained.

"Leo!" Piper roared. He finally materialized.

"I'm really sorry that I didn't show up to counseling," he apologized.

"Oh screw counseling. How many whitelighters are missing?" Piper questioned.

"What?" he mumbled.

"How many?" Piper demanded.

"Two," he replied and Chris smirked.

"Who is he?" Leo queried, pointing to Chris. Before Piper could answer, Phoebe appeared with one of the dwarves, a fairy and a leprechaun.

"Ok…I thought I told you to corral all the magical creatures into the basement or something," she addressed Phoebe, momentarily ignoring Leo's question.

"I think they can help get Prue back to normal," Phoebe explained.

"Good," Piper sighed, thinking one thing could maybe actually go right today. She turned to Leo, "That would be Chris. He is from the future," she said sarcastically. Chris just gave Leo a nod. He needed to get Leo back to the Elders. He needed Leo out of the way as soon as he could. It wouldn't do to have Leo interrupting his plans.

"Why don't you and Leo go be with Wyatt and I'll take care of Prue," Phoebe suggested, ushering her sister and brother-in-law out of the attic.

"Ok, next sister," she sighed, turning back to Prue.

"Ok…I got the potion…fairy dust, and some luck and our dwarf with his mystical ax," Phoebe listed off.

"Ok…let's hope this works," she said to the magical creatures. The leprechaun got his gold out activating the luck, the fairy sprinkled some fairy dust and Phoebe tossed the potion. Just as the potion hit, he hit the bottom of the Prue statue. The combination hit Prue and she inhaled, the stone shattering around her into nothing. Prue looked around in confusion.

"Did we get the Titan? Where is she?" Prue asked.

"Uh honey...she got away," Phoebe answered.

"Damn...who is he?" she continued.

"This is Chris...he's a whitelighter from the future," Phoebe answered. Chris just gave a wave. Prue couldn't help but let her gaze give him the once over. Wordlessly, Prue began to drag Phoebe in the direction of Piper's room. Chris followed.

"We need to have a little sister chat," Prue began once they'd walked into the room. Leo was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Leo?" Phoebe asked.

"He said he felt something wrong and orbed up there. But that was a few hours ago. I've been calling for him but he won't answer," Piper answered.

"Ok...you need to freeze him," Prue instructed her younger sister.

"What, why?" Chris protested.

"Well…since you are following us like a lost little puppy, and won't give us a chance to talk, we are gonna have Piper freeze you?" Prue asked, gesturing towards Piper.

Piper lifted up her hands, and flicked her wrists, attempting to freeze him, but he didn't freeze.

"Oh that's not good," she muttered.

"You can't freeze good magic. Or did that little detail just mysteriously disappear," Chris spat.

"Look, we just need some time right now...so just...go somewhere else," Prue ordered. He had to stifle a laugh.

"Fine...but you're going to need to face the Titans and soon," he muttered, walking from the room.

"Ok...does he seem creepy to anyone else?" Prue asked.

"Yeah...but he seemed to know about the Titans," Phoebe answered.

"Speaking of Titans...what else do you think he knows?" Prue murmured. Piper let out a sigh, looking up to the ceiling.

"Damn it, Leo. If you can hear me! Get your butt down here, now!" she shouted but just like all the other times he didn't come.

Phoebe and Prue back up to the attic, this time finding Chris browsing the potion ingredients.

"Are you some futuristic kleptomaniac or something?" Prue asked.

"No," he answered. Phoebe moved to look at the book some more.

"So how did whoever beat the Titans the first time do it?" she asked aloud.

"Three thousand years ago, the Elders infused a bunch of mortals with a hell of a lot of power, more power than even you have. But the power went to their heads and declared themselves Gods and forced world to worship them," Chris answered as if he talked Greek mythology all the time.

"Ok…so how are we going to beat them then?" Phoebe asked Chris. "Cause I doubt that the Elders are willing to do that again," Phoebe sighed. Just then Piper walked in.

"Doubt the Elders are willing to do what again?" she asked.

"Instill power into mortals to defeat the Titans," Prue answered. Piper just raised an eyebrow, calling out for Leo. Chris had to bite his lip to keep from making some nasty remark.

"Look...if what's happened is what I think it is...then Leo is going to need some serious alone time," Chris informed Piper.

"You know what...enough of the cryptic crap. Go up there and bring him back, now," Piper bellowed. Chris jumped at her tone but disappeared in orbs.

He reappeared in the heavens to see Leo grieving over the dead Elders. Leo looked up to see Chris and rushed at him, thrusting him against a pole.

"You let this happen! Why did you let this happen?" Leo screamed.

Sarah Biglow: "Because this had to happen. So you could do what has to be done," Chris answered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leo muttered.

"I think you do," Chris replied. Leo shook his head.

"I can't...the Elders forbid it," Leo rambled.

"Well the Elders are dead so there is no one to stop you," Chris retorted.

"How do I know this won't somehow change your future?" Leo asked, taking a step back.

"You don't. But you just have to trust me before the Titans do more damage than they already have," Chris stated. Leo sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this battle.

"You should go down to make sure the girls are ok," Leo instructed and Chris disappeared in orbs.

Chris orbed down, and was met with an angry Piper when she saw it wasn't Leo. "Oh it's only you. Where is my husband?" she asked hotly.

"He is up there still…" Chris started to explain.

"What do you mean he is still up there?" Piper thundered.

"You're about to find out," Chris said with a smirk. Suddenly a swirl of light appeared, wrapping the girls in a clouded wind. When it disappeared they were all dressed in Greco-Roman outfits and Phoebe had long blond hair. Prue was clutching a pitchfork.

"That's what that means," Chris said with a smile.

"Leo made you Gods...well Goddesses," Chris explained to them.

"What? Why...why would he do that?" Piper rambled.

"Because it's the only way you'll have enough power to defeat the Titans," he answered. Suddenly Phoebe advanced on Chris, wrapping an arm around his neck, pulling him close.

"You never did tell us, Chris...do you have a girlfriend in the future," Phoebe murmured, flirting with him. Chris had to take deep breaths just so he wouldn't vomit. He knew it was just the essence of the Gods but it was still gross.

"Phoebe...you need to focus on the Titans," he told her, unwrapping her arm and moving around the couch where Prue grabbed him with her triton.

"He is responsible for this...I say we castrate him," she suggested.

"Wh-what? Ladies let's be reasonable here," Chris begged.

"Can't we find something else to cut off?" Phoebe pouted. Chris orbed out of their grip.

"Will you two get a hold of yourselves?" Piper snapped at them, and Chris shot Piper a grateful look. "The sooner we get rid of the Titans, the sooner we get out of these damn costumes," Piper sighed.

"Piper…we should try and come to a peaceful agreement with them," Phoebe said twirling a piece of hair.

"Phoebe are you insane? The only way we will get them to stop is if we fight them," Prue said twirling her triton around.

"Prue…all the world needs is love…" Phoebe retorted. The phone rang and Phoebe let out a little giggle.

"Oh, I'm going to be late for the bachelor auction. Maybe I'll bid on a guy…or two…or twelve," she sighed and disappeared in a giant heart.

"Hmm…I should get in some target practice. I'm going to find some demons," Prue announced, disappearing a flash of lightning.

"You have to go after them," Chris told Piper.

"Me? This is your problem," she answered.

"Your role is to provide balance so they don't go insane. Just…hurry and bring them back here," Chris muttered.

Piper glared at Chris, clearly annoyed that he brought this upon them, and focused on Prue, and disappeared in a gale. She appeared in a forest and saw Prue shooting random demons. "Oh come on…are you even going to try and fight back?" Prue asked in a bored voice.

"Prue…come on. We do not have time for this," Piper sighed, trying to grab her oldest sister's arm.

"Oh come on Piper," Prue whined, and one of the demons thought he could get Prue while she wasn't paying attention, but of course Prue noticed and vanquished him with a swift shot from her triton.

"Prue…I know you enjoy killing demons, but seriously we need to go and fight the Titans…" Piper tried to convince her sister, but at the mention of the Titans Prue stopped paying attention.

"Reminding me of the Titans, we need troops. Hey any of you pansy ass demons that are left, show your selves!" The demons came out, and stood idly in front of her. "Well what are you waiting for? Bow," Prue commanded, and instantly they bowed before her.

"This is ridiculous," Piper grumbled.

"That's enough. Get out of here," Piper ordered the demons.

"We answer only to Prue," one of them answered.

"See...they are very loyal when they're scared," Prue giggled.

"I said go!" Piper boomed, sending them flying with a gust of wind. The few that weren't vanquished, shimmered out.

"Hey! Why'd you do that? I had followers," Prue pouted.

"You can't have followers. None of us can," Piper said, taking hold of her sister's arm and disappearing in a gust of wind.

"Piper you are such the stick in the mud," Prue whined as soon as they arrived home, she said fiddling with her triton.

"Give me that," Piper snapped, taking away the Triton from Prue.

"Give me back my triton," Prue whined, reaching for it, but Piper stopped her with a withering glare.

"No…you are going to poke out someone's eye with it," Piper snapped.

Piper walked into the living room, and nearly dropped the Triton. The whole downstairs was showered with men. "Phoebe what in god's name are you doing?" Piper shot at her youngest sister. Phoebe had her head leaned back and was accepting grapes from one of the shirtless guys. After taking a bite, she turned to Piper.

"Oh Piper…sweetie, you are clearly stressed out," she said in a soft voice. "You look like you need a massage…" she gestured at one of the guys and he started towards Piper.

"No…Phoebe what I want is my sisters back, not some violent crazed older sister, and some Aphrodite wannabe," Piper shot back at Phoebe. Just then Chris walked in, his jaw dropping.

"What the hell is this? Goddesses gone wild? I told you to keep them under control," Chris exclaimed.

"Why does she get to have followers?" Prue complained.

"She doesn't," Piper answered.

"Phoebe, your little groupies need to leave now," Piper ordered.

"But they love me. They want to worship me," Phoebe said with a small smile.

"I said they leave...now!" Piper roared, sending the guys tumbling, landing at the foot of the stairs. They all stood, scrambling to get out of the house.

"Now that is what I like to see," Chris said.

"Ok, so I have them here now what do you want? Because frankly, I want to talk to my husband, now," Piper demanded.

"You can't...not yet. He's not ready," Chris muttered.

"Not ready? What the hell does that mean?" she cried, making the house rattle.

"He's still tracking the surviving Elders and getting them into hiding," Chris explained. Just then there was a jingle.

"Was that a jingle?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah...that's Leo," Chris murmured.

"He jingles?" Prue asked.

"He says an Elder is under attack. You'd better go," Chris interpreted. Prue jumped at the chance for battle.

"Wait...what about Wyatt? Who is going to watch Wyatt?" Piper questioned.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," Chris offered.

"Like hell you will. You're not going anywhere near my son," Piper spat.

Prue decided to step up to Chris's defense and said, "Look I think he has proved himself that he is trustworthy enough. Let's go, we need to go save a freaking Elder," and with that she grabbed her Triton from Piper, and Phoebe stood up next to them.

"You know…I am strongly against fighting," Piper rolled her eyes and they disappeared heading for the Elder.

They appeared to find Demetrius and Cronus attacking an Elder.

"why don't you pick on someone your own size," Prue shouted.

"Gods? That is impossible!" Demetrius gasped. Cronus just ignored his counterpart and attacked.

"I can't move," Prue rasped.

"Me either," Phoebe agreed. They shielded the Titan's attack, and they were pretty much evenly matched.

"Leo…get us out of here now!" Piper shouted, their shield not going to be able to hold for much longer. They were covered in orbs, and were deposited in a sewer like place.

"Um…where are we?" Prue asked, and an elder walked up to them.

"This is sanctuary. A place cloaked from the Titans," the Elder explained.

"Sanctuary. I see points of entry all over the place," Prue remarked.

"It is protected by a web of fairy magic. One of Leo's ideas," he explained.

"I'm afraid I was one of those who opposed his union with a witch. No offense," he said, addressing Piper.

"Offense taken," Piper said coolly.

"Where is Leo anyway?" she asked in an annoyed voice.

"Um…I cannot tell you that," the elder said in a small voice. Piper took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but really didn't succeed.

"Why the hell not?" she shot at him.

"You know what, don't answer. Leo!" Piper shouted. All she got in response was jingling.

"Don't you freaking jingle me! I am your god damn wife, and you will come down here right now!" she bellowed and instantly the room started to shake.

"What are you trying to do, alert the enemy?" Prue hissed.

"We're leaving," Piper said coldly. Phoebe advanced on the Elder.

"Just one question….what are you wearing under those robes?" she asked. He looked at her strangely.

"More robes," he answered.

"That is so hot," Phoebe gushed as Piper grabbed her arm and they disappeared in a gust of wind.

Upon arriving at the Manor, Piper headed up to the nursery to be with Wyatt while Phoebe and Paige sat down in the sun room.

"How are we supposed to beat them? They totally neutralized my power," Prue grumbled.

"So let's try my power," Phoebe suggested with a seductive smile. Phoebe sighed as yet another simulation failed.

"This is hopeless," she groaned just as Chris walked in.

"How's it going in here/" he asked.

"Not so good. We have run every battle simulation...and with Prue being the Goddess of War...that's like every battle ever fought. No matter how you spin it, warrior princess, seductress, earth mother...it all ends in our death," Phoebe answered.

"You know future boy," Phoebe said, "We really need Leo. He always says the right things to inspire us to go on and keep fighting."

"Yeah, go get him," Prue shooed. Chris sighed.

"He needs to stay up there. Both of you are acting helpless without him." Chris told the sisters.

"Look…what can I do to get you guys over the hump because this is getting ridiculous," Chris sighed.

"Try saying this. It always works when Leo says it. 'Your power comes from your emotions'," Phoebe said.

"Or this. 'Trust in the Power of Three'," Prue added. Chris just backed away slowly, disappearing in orbs. He reappeared in Piper's bedroom.

"I need your help," he said.

"This is my bedroom. You can't just walk in here," she spat.

"I'm sorry, but your sisters are acting helpless downstairs. They are barely focusing on the Titans. Can't you please help?" Chris asked Piper. Piper sighed, putting Wyatt in his bassinet.

"So they are working on the Titans, why the hell do you need me for?" she snapped at Chris.

"Well I need you to go in there so you can keep them focused on it, and not on Leo," Chris explained.

"Face it, Chris. We need Leo," Piper told him.

"If it helps, I get it. You need him. Ok. Your sisters need him, you need him," Chris rambled.

"Don't forget Wyatt. He needs his father," Piper interrupted.

"Ok...fine I'll see what I can do," Chris muttered, disappearing in orbs once more. When he reappeared in the heavens, Leo grabbed him, pulling him behind a pole.

"You're going to expose us," Leo hissed as Cronus and Demetrius wandered around.

"That's the point," Chris answered, stepping into view.

Leo orbed down to Piper, who was lying on their bed. "Why did you leave us Leo?" Piper whispered to herself, not hearing Leo orb in. Wyatt made gurgling noises and instantly Piper whipped out her hands, but stopped when she saw Leo take off his hood.

"Leo," she said, and she fell into his arms. "You heard my calls didn't you?" she whispered.

"Of course…but I had to make sure the other Elders were safe, but then I was being badgered by the Titans," Leo explained, rubbing her back.

"Thank god you're ok," Piper said pulling away from him to get a look at his face.

"You can thank Chris for me being here…he is distracting the Titans now," he said giving Piper a small smile. Piper just stared at his hair and put a hand on a part of it.

"Um…it's white," Piper said in a shocked voice. Leo turned and looked at the mirror.

"Guess it is from staying up there too long," Leo sighed.

"Come on...we need you," Piper sighed, dragging Leo downstairs. They reached the sun room and Phoebe latched onto him.

"Welcome back," she said. Leo gave her a pat on the shoulder and managed to escape her grasp.

"So what do you have for me?" he asked.

"Big fat nothing. We can't do it," Prue sighed.

"Girls, of course you can do this. I wouldn't give you something you couldn't handle," he said, starting one of his famous pep talks.

"Phoebe...you succumbed to the darkest love there was and you came back from it. Is it any mystery why I made you the Goddess of Love?" he continued.

"Prue...you're focused on using power but not gaining it for selfish reasons. You know what you have to do to defeat the Titans," he told Prue.

"We have to declare ourselves Gods," she breathed.

"And Piper...is it any surprise that I made you the Goddess of Earth? You're all that is good in this world. You're the mother of my son," he said. Piper couldn't help but smile a little. Just then Leo started to glow gold until it covered his whole body. It slowly subsided.

"Whoa…whoa what the hell was that?" Piper said after Leo was done glowing. When Leo didn't answer, she turned her head and yelled. "Chris!"

In a flurry of orbs, Chris appeared, looking annoyed.

"This better be good because you're going to lead them straight to us," Chris spat.

"What the hell just happened to my husband?" Piper demanded.

"How should I know...I wasn't here," Chris shot.

"He glowed. Why did he glow?" Prue demanded. Chris nodded in understanding.

"Leo's been given an opportunity to become an Elder," Chris explained.

"No...Elders don't live on Earth...they don't have families. Leo, tell him you're not an Elder," Piper ordered.

"I don't know if I can…"Leo whispered.

"What do you mean you don't know if you can?" Piper snapped at Leo. "You are needed here, Wyatt needs you!" Piper shouted.

"This is a good opportunity for Leo. He did amazing things today," Chris said.

"Cut the crap!" Piper snapped at the Whitelighter. "You knew Leo was going to be turned into an Elder, and seriously this future boy act is really starting to piss me off,"

"Whoah...Piper just calm down ok. I'm only trying to help," Chris said, taking a few steps back.

"Don't tell me to calm down," she roared, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Piper!" Leo gasped, rushing over to Chris, making sure he was ok.

"Uh...I think we have bigger problems," Phoebe remarked just as Cronus and Demetrius appeared. Piper was too busy glaring at Leo and Chris to hear Phoebe's call. Cronus sent a bolt of fire flying, Phoebe and Prue diving out of the way just in time.

"Piper...a little help here," Prue called. Piper was pulled from her anger. She turned around, raising her hands in front of her. The floor opened up into a vortex-like pit, sucking in the chandelier. Prue smirked, shooting a bolt of lightning from her triton, forcing Cronus and Demetrius to fall in.

Leo stood up from where Chris was and smiled. "You guys did it, the Titans are gone," Prue and Phoebe looked happy, but Piper just stood where the Titans once were. Leo orbed what he used to give the girls their goddess powers.

"Now it is time to take it back…" he said.

Without a word, Piper disappeared in a gust of wind. Prue and Phoebe stared at the spot she'd occupied but focused their attention on giving the powers back. Prue heaved a sigh of relief to be herself again.

"Thank god!" she sighed, sitting down on the couch, just as another crash of thunder shook the house.

"This is crazy weather," Phoebe stated.

"You need to find Piper before she destroys the city," Chris informed them.

"How the hell are we supposed to find her?" Prue snapped.

"Where would you go to watch total destruction?" Phoebe asked. Prue nodded her head in understanding and she stood up.

"Come on. We need to stop her," Prue said, grabbing Phoebe by the arm. She astral projected them to the Golden Gate Bridge.

They found Piper raising her hands causing more lightening to strike close to the Golden Gate Bridge. "Piper!" Prue called out.

Piper barely even registered that Prue had called out her name. "Piper, come on, we need to get you home," Phoebe added.

"To what? My husband is off to join those Elders…"

"To us…to Wyatt," Prue said against the wind.

"He has already lost his Dad…" Phoebe said sadly, "Don't let him lose his mom too…"

Piper just shook her head and disappeared again. She reappeared in the heavens. The Elders had returned and were all standing around, clicking at each other.

"Where is Leo?" she demanded to know. Leo appeared and ushered her to a more secluded area.

"Piper, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"How could you do this to me?" she sobbed, the Goddess apparel suddenly disappearing, being replaced by her civilian clothes.

"You know if I had a choice in any of this I'd choose you," he whispered.

"So choose me now...and let's go home," she breathed.

"I can't," he murmured, lifting her face so her eyes met his.

"As an Elder I have the power to your pain away," he said, pulling her into a hug. He briefly glowed gold and the light transferred to Piper.

A few days had passed since the whole Titan debacle and Prue and Phoebe were in the kitchen, preparing dessert for the little get together they were having with Darryl and Sheila. There was a knock on the front door.

"Come on in," Phoebe called. Darryl and Sheila walked in.

"You're sure you want to do this today?" Sheila asked.

"Oh, yeah...it was Piper's idea," Phoebe answered, taking the flowers Sheila offered her. Just then Piper came down the stairs, a broad smile on her face.

"Hey Sheila, Darryl glad you could make it," she said in a happy voice.

"Of course Piper," Darryl said giving Piper a smile. "Leo was…" Darryl tried to say something good in remembrance of Leo, but couldn't. Everyone else stayed silent until Piper sounded.

"Oh come on you guys…Leo got promoted and we should be happy for him. I am," Piper said still flashing a smile.

Sheila and Darryl just nodded, heading into the dining room as Piper ran back up the stairs to grab the baby monitor.

"Something is seriously wrong with her. She's too...happy," Phoebe whispered.

"Yeah..." Prue agreed.

Outside, Chris was sitting on the front steps, staring out at nothing. Leo suddenly appeared in orbs.

"So did the Elders figure out what to do with me yet?" he asked.

"Well we can't send you back to your time," Leo answered.

"I figured as much. Hell, I don't even know what'd be going back to," Chris stated.

"But you've been the topic of heated discussion and we've voted...to make you the Charmed Ones new whitelighter," Leo informed Chris.

"But somehow I think you already knew that," he added, eying Chris suspiciously.

"You better not screw up...just remember...I'll be watching," he concluded and started to orb away. With a lazy flick of his wrist, Chris sent Leo's orbs scattering. He looked around him to make sure no one saw and stood up, heading into the Manor. He sent the door flying shut with another flick of his wrist.


	2. Valhalley of the Dolls

Valhalley of the Dolls

Phoebe grinned as she inhaled the beach air, and the clearly excited people around her. Smash Mouth ended their song and Phoebe turned back to the interviewer, Chad, from the KQSF Summer bash. "Give it up for Smash Mouth Ladies and Gentlemen! This is Chad and we are back with the stunningly beautiful Phoebe Halliwell," Phoebe let out a laugh and ran a hand through her short hair. "So what's your secret? Are you psychic?"

"I'm sorry…" Phoebe said.

"Well you have to be psychic or something! I mean your column has sky rocketed from your recent advice…how else do you explain it?" he rephrased.

"Well I guess I'm just really in touch with what people are feeling," Phoebe answered. Chad nodded and smiled.

"So how about you give us a preview right now. Tell me what I'm feeling," he goaded.

"Well you'll just have to send in a letter and find out," she said, shooting him a wink.

"Ok...well how about this. There's this girl and she's really attractive. But I'm afraid if I ask her out...she might say no. What should I do?" he replied. Phoebe suddenly felt a tingling sensation.

"Why don't you just ask me and find out," she snickered.

Chris sighed as he lazily flipped the pages of the Book of Shadows with his telekinesis, writing down various notes about demons that may come after Wyatt and possibly turn him evil. Being so engrossed in the book he didn't expect a portal opening up and a Valkyrie popping out of it. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. What was she thinking, teleporting in broad daylight?

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked nervously, and kept his eyes on the attic exit to make sure none of the Charmed Ones could see what was going on.

"Freyja sent me…she is wondering what is taking you so long," Mist sighed, shaking her head at the young Whitelighter.

"She sure worries a lot for a mythical creature," Chris muttered.

"She isn't the only one that is worried Chris. He is an Elder, Chris how much longer do you really expect us to keep him?" she asked in a tired voice. Chris looked at her strangely at the tone of her voice. It could only mean one thing.

"Please don't tell me he is complaining," Chris sighed.

"I swear…you banish the guy to an island full of gorgeous woman and he complains," Chris grumbled.

"Look…I haven't finished what I came here to do yet and until I do…I need Leo out of the way," he explained after taking a breath.

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Mist whispered. Chris took a step or two closer to her.

"You know I'd never hurt you," he breathed, cupping her cheek.

"I know…but you would if you really had to," she answered just as footsteps reverberated on the stairs.

"Chris?" Piper called out.

"You'd better get out of here," he murmured, kissing her gently on the lips before she reopened the portal and disappeared.

"Do you have any laundry?" Piper asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Huh? Oh…no I'm good. Thanks," he answered.

"Oki doki," she said cheerfully and headed downstairs again.

Chris looked at Piper's retreating form and was in shock to see her so chipper. Shaking his head he sensed where Phoebe was and orbed to a deserted area.

Phoebe walked over to Chad with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you out there…" she sheepishly ran a hand through her short hair. "I do not know what is wrong with me…it must be the heat or something…"

"I am glad it was just the radio," Chad told her with a smile.

"I really do not know why I answered like that. It was…"

"Dead on," Chad chuckled, "It was exactly what I was feeling…nervous about asking you out," Phoebe let out a small laugh.

"Really? You were? Maybe I should just ask you out to take the pressure off," Realizing what she said; she let out a nervous chuckle, "I do not know what is the matter with me today."

Just then Chris waved his hand, getting her attention.

"Chris!" she exclaimed, feeling relieved to see a familiar face.

"We need you back at the Manor," he said in a low voice. Phoebe turned around to look at Chad.

"How about we do lunch?" she offered and he nodded. With that Phoebe and Chris orbed home.

"The spell is in the book. I'll go get Piper," Chris said, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Phoebe looked over the page on the Trok demon. The spell seemed pretty simple. All they had to do was summon it to their plane and have Piper freeze it. She looked up when she heard to pairs of footsteps.

"Just...stay here. I'll go get Prue," he sighed and orbed out of the Manor. Chris reappeared at a photoshoot, Prue bend down behind the camera. She turned around and nearly knocked the tripod over.

"Don't do that," she spat.

"Sorry. Look we need you...demon vanquish," he said, lowering his voice at the end of the sentence.

"Now? I'm in the middle of a shoot," she hissed.

"Hey...demons don't keep schedules," he retorted. She glared at him.

"Ok guys. How about we take twenty," she called. People nodded and started to mill about.

"This better be fast," she grumbled.

They orbed home and found Piper in an apron with the hugest smile on her face. "Hi Prue," she said giddily. "Weren't you supposed to be at a photo shoot?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah…but I had to take a break so we could vanquish the Trok Demon," Prue sighed, marveling at Piper's attitude.

"Oh ok," Piper said with a small chuckle, "so when are we vanquishing it?" she almost sounded excited to vanquish a demon.

"Ok who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Prue asked as they walked towards the stairs. Piper let out a laugh and lightly smacked Prue.

"Oh Prue you are such a kidder," Piper said. Prue put a hand on Piper's head and she looked at Prue, "What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you have a temperature, because you have been acting weird ever since Leo left."

They ran into Phoebe on their way up the stairs.

"Ok...let's get this demon vanquish over with. I have a lunch date," Phoebe said, dragging her sisters upstairs to the attic. Phoebe closed her eyes, concentrating and the Trok Demon shimmered into the attic. Its two heads looked around in confusion until they spotted the sisters.

"Piper, freeze it!" Phoebe squealed. Piper threw her hands out but blew up one of its heads instead.

"Oops," she said with a giggle.

Phoebe held the spell out and they all recited it.

"From other worlds, far and near, let's get him the Trok out of here," they chanted and he blew up, leaving demon residue on the floor.

"That was awesome!" Piper exclaimed with a laugh.

"Piper that was not awesome," Prue snapped. "That kind of mistake could mean a matter of life or death," Prue looked at Piper who looked like she was going to let out another guffaw any second.

"Piper…any reason why you thought that blowing up a demon's head instead of freezing him would be ok?" Phoebe asked.

"Um…I don't know," Piper said chuckling a little bit. Prue exchanged looks between Phoebe and sighed. Piper was definitely not acting like herself.

"Ok…Chris can you orb me back so I can finish my photo shoot?" Prue sighed, looking forward to getting back to work.

"Uh…yeah," Chris said, grabbing Prue's arm and orbed back to 415.

"Thanks," Prue gave him a smile and headed back towards where her camera was and Chris sighed, orbing back to the Manor. He was met with an angry Phoebe.

"Come here," she dragged him away far enough away from Piper so she wouldn't hear. "We are not doing anymore vanquishing for a while," Phoebe stated firmly.

"Wait, why?" Chris asked. Phoebe just pointed at Piper who was just humming a little tune while she did chores.

"She is really chipper," Phoebe spat.

"So she's a little happy. What's wrong with that?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"What's wrong is that is not Piper! Especially not after Leo just left to become an Elder," Phoebe fumed.

"Look…what do you want me to do about it?" he shot at her, growing a little nervous.

"I want you to find Leo. I have a feeling he knows what is wrong with her," Phoebe answered and suddenly felt a strange feeling wash over it. It felt like anxiety.

"What are you anxious about?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you talking about? I'm not anxious," he lied. Damn her empathy power.

"Look, I need to go call Chad and cancel our lunch date. We need to figure out what is wrong with Piper," Phoebe ordered.

"Wait…you're canceling on some guy who asked you out?" Chris questioned.

"No…I'm canceling on some guy I asked out," Phoebe retorted, dialing his cell phone number. She got no answer and so she tried thee restaurant. She spoke briefly with the hostess before hanging up, looking disgusted.

"He cancelled on me," she declared.

"Ok…so…you were just calling to cancel on him," Chris commented.

"No see…I called him first and got no answer. He called the restaurant. He stood me up," she explained. Chris just looked at her and took a step back.

"I'm going to find him and figure this out. See if you can find Leo," she called.

"Right," Chris muttered, eying Piper nervously.

"Chris, could you fold the laundry? I am going to go get Wyatt to a play date," she said grabbing her purse with Wyatt in her arms. Chris just nodded his head, "Thanks," she said, and practically bounced out of the Manor.

Phoebe drove to the KQSF Beach Bash and found Chad ordering a hotdog. "You do know that they have hotdogs at the Bayview Café," Phoebe said, her arms folded over her chest.

"Hey…umm…what are you doing here?" Chad asked nervously.

"That's funny, cause I was about to say the same thing," Phoebe snapped at Chad.

"Listen…I can explain," he said lamely.

"Good, cause that is why I drove all the way here," Phoebe said darkly. "You know, I was hoping you can help me understand something that has baffled woman kind since the beginning of time. How come you guys don't ever call us after asking us out….or even a better question cancel at the last minute and stand us up,"

"Look…I'm sorry, but something really important came up," he lied. Phoebe suddenly felt intimidation wash over her, but it felt like it was coming from him.

"Are you intimidated by me?" Phoebe asked.

"Wha…what?" he asked in a shocked voice.

"Because you weren't when you asked me out," Phoebe pointed out.

"Hey…you asked me out," Chad stammered.

"So you are saying that you didn't want me though? I know you did, I felt it," Phoebe stated.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Chad babbled. Phoebe glared at him as a new emotion swept over her.

"It just...hurts so much," she whimpered, fighting off tears. A few feet away a little was holding her scraped knee.

"It hurts so much, Mommy," she sobbed. Phoebe's eyes bulged and she sprinted back to her car. She got in but didn't go anywhere.

Back at the photo shoot, Prue was wrapping up for the day.

"Good job you guys," she called and headed for her car, camera bag and tripod in hand. She arrived home to find Chris now hauling a baby carrier into the next room.

"Whose baby?" she asked.

"Ask Piper...I don't know anything," Chris answered, setting the baby down.

"Oh Chris...you missed some socks," Piper called from the laundry room.

"Laundry?" Prue snickered as he gave her a withering glare.

"It's really not funny," Chris snapped as he orbed to find Piper.

Prue let out a chuckle as Chris went back to laundry duty, and went upstairs to go look for the memory spell so she can restore Piper's memory. This chipper attitude was becoming torture as she clearly ignored the fact Leo was gone. Then it hit Prue, Leo must have charmed her. "Oh…Leo when you show up here, I am so going to kick your ass for drugging my sister up on happy pills," she muttered angrily.

She grabbed a pen and a sheet of scrap paper and scribbled down the spell, and ran back downstairs. "Hi Prue," Piper said happily as she was bent over Wyatt.

"Well their mommies couldn't pick them up for a while, so I offered to baby-sit until they could," Piper said happily. "And look how happy Wyatt is, having so many friends over."

"Piper…what are all these babies doing here?" Prue asked in a tight voice.

"Piper...he's like ten months old. The concept of friends...doesn't exist yet," Prue remarked just as Prue walked in.

"Having fun?" he asked and Prue glared at him.

"Look...we need Leo. So you need to go bring him down here," she demanded.

"I can't," Chris answered.

"Excuse me?" Prue spat.

"Look I didn't want to tell you this but the Elders haven't heard from Leo in a while," Chris said carefully.

"A while...how long is a while?" Prue demanded.

"About five weeks," Chris muttered. Prue looked livid.

"Five weeks?" Prue thundered. "Leo has been gone for five weeks and you just decided not to tell us," she said poking Chris on the chest. Prue took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nose. "Fine…I will work on kicking your ass later, but right now we need to restore what Leo has done to my sister," Prue said unfolding the piece of paper.

"Is that a memory spell?" Chris asked her.

"Yeah…" Prue answered immediately. Prue chanted, "Powers and emotions tied, a witch's heart is where it hides, help her through her agony, bless her with her memory." A white mist came from Piper, and the spell was complete. "You ok Piper?" Piper turned around, a confused smile on her face.

"Um…do I know you?" she asked.

"Very funny Piper," Prue sighed, not really in the mood for jokes. Piper turned back around and saw the kids in the playpen.

"Aww…how cute. Yours?" she pointed to Wyatt.

"No, yours," Prue answered, now a little worried.

"Well isn't he just adorable, yes you are," she cooed at Wyatt.

"Nice spell," Chris whispered in Prue's ear.

"Don't even you tempt me," she snarled.

Piper gave them another dazed smile. Suddenly a fly buzzed past her and she tried to swat it away but ended up blowing up a lamp instead. The explosion made her jump.

"Wh-what...happened? Did I do that?" she gasped.

"Uh ok...why don't you just go in there and sit down...relax. And keep your hands down," Chris instructed her.

"Great...what do we do now?" Prue groaned. Suddenly a thought dawned on her. She sprinted up the stairs and returned with a scrying crystal and maps.

"You're going to scry for Leo when he could be anywhere?" Chris asked.

"Do you have any bright ideas?" she snapped, looking around for something to scry with.

Prue looked towards the playpen and saw Wyatt orb a pacifier from one of the other kids and an idea hit Prue. "Hey Wyatt…how about you come play with Aunt Prue for a minute?" she asked, taking him out of the playpen.

"You are going to use Wyatt?" Chris asked with a sarcastic chuckle. Prue instantly shot him a dark look, and Chris immediately stopped laughing. Chris heard the front door slam and Phoebe came in.

"Hey Piper…you wouldn't believe what happened to me today, I got a new power," Phoebe said happily, "What power do you ask? You remember that Empath we helped a while back? I think I got his gift…or maybe an extension of my premonitions…"

"Actually...she doesn't. Know anything that is…about anyone," Chris said, walking into the room.

"Why?" Phoebe asked, looking baffled.

"Prue here cast a memory spell but instead of restoring her memory it took it away," Chris answered.

"Can you blow things up too?" Piper asked. Phoebe bit her lip.

"Prue!" she bellowed and stormed off in search of her oldest sister.

"In here," she called.

"Why does Piper have amnesia?" the youngest Halliwell demanded.

"It wasn't supposed to happen that way. I think it reacted to whatever magic Leo used on her and accidentally took away her memory," Prue answered, the scrying crystal landing in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

"Aw…you feel extremely bad for doing that to Piper, sorry," Phoebe said instantly feeling Prue's guilt.

'Thanks…I think," Prue said, as she looked where the crystal landed. "Leo is somewhere in the Indian Ocean?" Prue sighed.

"What is Leo doing there?" Phoebe asked baffled. Suddenly she felt guilt hit her loud and clear coming from Chris. "And why do you feel guilty?"

"Chris just told me Leo has been missing for five weeks," Prue snapped answering for Chris.

"What?" Phoebe shouted, feeling Prue's anger.

"I didn't want to worry you, ok," Chris retorted. Phoebe and Prue just glared at him.

"Well we will have to use a potion to get there," Prue sighed.

"Why are you even looking? I mean the Indian Ocean...there is nothing out there but water," he added.

"He is our brother-in-law. We're going to find him," Prue spat as she and Phoebe headed for the kitchen.

"Oh...I have a new power," Phoebe said as they disappeared.

"I guessed that...what is it?" Prue answered.

"Empathy," Phoebe answered.

"Better you than me," she sighed.

Phoebe gave Prue a small pout and Prue chuckled as she gathered the potion ingredients. "You are so enjoying this aren't you?" Phoebe asked as Prue got the potion ingredients.

"You are going to have so much fun being an empath Phoebe," Prue said chuckling. Soon the potions were ready, and Prue asked, "You ready?"

"Yep…" Phoebe said, taking one of the potions in Prue's hands. They threw them on the ground and instantly they were enfolded into smoke and appeared into a jungle like setting. Back at the Manor Chris kicked a toy out of frustration, Wyatt instantly putting his shield up.

"If anyone should be protecting themselves, it should be me from you," she spat at the little boy. Back on the island the sisters stood up, staying close together.

"Ok...where are we?" Prue asked, looking around. Phoebe didn't answer. She looked around and heard footsteps, a sudden emotion flooding her. She tackled Prue into the bushes and began cutting off air to her windpipe.

"Phoebe, have you lost your mind?" Prue gasped, Phoebe finally snapping out of it and letting her older sister go.

"Sorry...I must have been channeling what they were feeling," Phoebe apologized, helping Prue up. They moved silently towards a large cave. When they entered it they came upon a large bamboo cage with a very familiar looking person pacing around inside.

"Leo!" Phoebe called. He turned around to see Phoebe and Prue standing there.

"Prue, Phoebe," Leo said in a relieved voice, "it is good to see you. Hey you cut your hair," Leo commented seeing Phoebe's really short hair.

"Yeah…do you like it?" Phoebe asked happily running a hand through her hair.

"Hey you two, talk about style later," Prue retorted. "What are you doing here?"

"Somebody put me in here," Leo said angrily, "Watch out," Leo said suddenly.

Prue and Phoebe turned around and met with two angry women dressed up in armor, and they sent Prue and Phoebe flying with telekinesis. "Hey since when can Xena use telekinesis?" Prue muttered as they came closer to them.

Just as they were about to come attack the sisters, swords flew out of Leo's hands and they stabbed the women, instantly vanquishing them.

"You need to get out of here before they find you. It's not safe here," Leo called to them.

"You can't use magic inside the cave. Hurry," he called to them. They started to run.

"We'll be back," Phoebe shouted as Prue threw the potion and they were transported back to the Manor.

As soon as they were teleported home, Chris was there waiting for them. "You guys could have been killed, you know that?"

"You know, it would not have been that big of a deal if you orbed us there?" Prue snapped.

"What was up with that skirt Leo was wearing anyway?" Phoebe asked chuckling.

"At least it wasn't plaid," Prue muttered. Phoebe let out a laugh, and Chris just stared at them.

"I don't believe this. It's like neither of you guys are taking how much serious danger you could have been,"

"We are in more danger since Piper is now brainwashed," Prue retorted. "So we need Leo back so we can get him to reverse the magic he has done to our sister." They headed upstairs and Chris followed after them.

"Now where are you going?" he called after them.

"To check the Book to figure out what we're up against," Prue shouted back. Chris bit his lip. This wasn't going to according to plan and man did he hate when his plans got derailed. He looked in on Piper and she was amusing herself, looking at the picture lining the room. Without another word he disappeared in orbs. He reappeared in an alleyway where a Valkyrie was leaning over a wounded cop.

"Chris," she commented, recognizing the young whitelighter.

"Plans have changed," Chris said calmly. She looked at him in confusion.

"Forgive me," he breathed and made a fist.

The Valkyrie let out a gasp and was brought to her knees. She gave Chris a shocked look and was vanquished. Chris grabbed the pendant from the fallen Valkyrie and sighed. If his plan was going to work he would need two more Valkyries.

About thirty minutes later Chris orbed back with Valkyrie pendants. "Ok…this way you girls can get into Valhalla undetected, but you guys are going to have to bring a soul of a warrior to get them to trust you if you have any chance of saving Leo,"

"A warrior's soul…" Prue mused for a little bit. "How about Darryl? He is a cop…" Prue thought after a second.

"Good luck with that," Chris muttered, wandering off in search of Piper. He made sure to keep the pendants hidden from the sisters. He couldn't risk them realizing what he was doing too soon.

"Hey how about a little help here. You could at least orb us to Darryl," Phoebe called. Chris waved his hand in their direction and they disappeared in orbs. They found him collaring some thug.

"Prue…Phoebe…what are you doing here?" Darryl asked.

"And how did you get here?" he added.

"Uh…it's complicated. Look, we need your help," Prue answered.

"Sure, anything," he answered.

"It's about Leo. He's being held captive on this island and the only way we can get in and be believable is if we bring them a warrior's soul," Phoebe began to explain.

"Why do I have feeling I'm not going to like this?" he muttered.

"Look it's just…for a few hours," Phoebe replied. Darryl's hook his head and turned around, starting to pace. Prue pulled a potion from her pocket and tossed it at him. His body collapsed and Darryl's spirit began to wander around.

"Uh Darryl," she called, pointing down. He looked down to see his body.

"Oh man. Am I…" he started to ask.

"No. It will be fine," Phoebe assured him, his soul being sucked into an urn.

Chris sighed as he went in search for Piper. He finally found her watching Wyatt play in his playpen. Chris needed to convince Piper that she was a Valkyrie so she could blend in better with the rest of them.

"Hi…Chris right?" she said in a confused voice.

"Yeah…How about I try to help you with your memory?" Piper just nodded. Chris grabbed one of the pendants, and got prepared to convince her she was a Valkyrie. Chris just slipped on the pendant around Piper's next and instantly she was dressed up in Valkyrie armor. Instantly Prue and Phoebe were poofed into the Manor.

"Um…Chris what did you do to Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"Made her think that she was a Valkyrie…"

"She is so going to kill you when she gets her memory back," Prue snickered.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Chris retorted, his hands shoved in his pockets.

'Because she hates wearing those costumes as much as we do," Phoebe answered.

"Well...in that case, you're going to kill me too," he said with a smirk, extending his hand with 2 more pendants.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Prue grumbled as they each put on a necklace.

"Great…costumes again," Prue sighed.

"It doesn't look too bad…" Phoebe said. "At least we got room to fight in these costumes. At least we aren't in togas again," Phoebe said grimacing as she thought about being the Goddess of Love.

"So how do we get to Valhalla?" Phoebe asked. Piper put a hand on her own pendant and a portal appeared. "Well ok…" and the Charmed Ones stepped through the portal.

The girls reappeared on Valhalla and headed for the main cave. Freyja looked up as they entered and stood.

"Who are you? I do not recognize you," she demanded.

"Perhaps you'll recognize this," Piper said coolly, unlocking the urn, letting Darryl's spirit out.

"A warrior's soul," she continued.

"Excellent," Freyja complimented and they led Darryl into the cage. He turned to look at Pure and Phoebe. Phoebe gave him the thumbs up sign just as footsteps walked towards him. Darryl spun around and was caught off guard. He dove to the ground where his opponent's helmet came off, revealing Leo.

"Leo?" Piper called out, her memory starting to return to her.

Leo looked at Piper momentarily before weapons were thrown in the cage. Leo flourished a sword. "Grab a weapon Darryl…" Leo tightly whispered. Darryl quickly grabbed a weapon.

"Leo…I don't want to fight you…" Darryl stammered.

"Just hit me…" Leo whispered.

When Darryl didn't do anything, Leo landed a punch across his jaw. Seeing that Darryl wasn't going to fight back, and that Piper's pain came back all at once. "Take the fall,"

"What?" Darryl asked. Leo head butted Darryl and he fell.

"Stay down," Leo whispered tightly. Leo raised his fist in the air and the Valkyries gave him disappointed looks.

"What is he doing here?" Piper's voice rang out. "What are we doing here?" Piper asked in a freaked out voice.

"Piper…Shh…" Prue said quickly as the head Valkyrie started to look at them suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?" Freyja demanded.

"Nothing," Phoebe muttered. Prue stood up.

"We're sorry for bringing you such an inadequate soul. We could…get rid of him for you. You know…send him on to the here after," she offered, hoping they'd buy it. They seemed to and she and Phoebe led Darryl away from the cage. Just as they were about to leave Prue sent a bunch of the Valkyries flying and Leo followed him, dragging Piper along with them.

"We need to hurry," Prue said, touching her pendant.

Piper just stayed where she was, pulling her arm away from Leo. "Piper, come on…" Prue said as she headed for the portal.

"I'm not going…" Piper said in a neutral voice.

"Piper…" Leo started. Phoebe let out a tiny inaudible gasp as she felt Piper's pain…and anger hurtling towards Leo.

"How dare you?" Phoebe suddenly shouted pushing Leo.

"Phoebe…"

"Leo…how dare you leave us, me, your son?" Phoebe yelled, landing a punch across Leo's jaw.

"Phoebe what are you doing?" P rue demanded but Phoebe didn't answer her.

"You can't just walk away from us. We're your family," she continued to shout and this time Leo ducked her jab. As quickly as the emotions had flooded her, they were gone and Phoebe was taking deep breaths.

"Look we need to go now before they catch us," Darryl stated and the four of them jumped through the portal. Piper stared after them as four warriors jumped through the portal just as it closed. Freyja and a few other Valkyries arrived and escorted Piper back to the cave.

Back in San Francisco, they reappeared in the ally. They walked over to Darryl's body and his spirit looked nervous.

"How do I do this?" he addressed the sisters.

"Oh you can just step right back in," Prue answered as Leo orbed them back to the Manor. Darryl stepped back into his body only to about thirty seconds later be thrown into a car by the warriors.

As soon as Leo orbed them to the manor, they were met with Chris. "Geez it is about time! I was starting to….Where's Piper?" Chris asked. Before anyone could supply an answer, Leo's face contorted into a mask of rage, and he started hit Chris in the face.

"You son of a bitch!" Leo forcefully pushed Chris on the wall, "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Chris asked. Leo wasn't satisfied with this answer, so he threw Chris across the room.

"Leo that's enough!" Prue shouted at him. Chris tried to orb away from the crazed Elder, but Leo grabbed Chris once again, and tossed Chris against another wall, crashing into a cabinet.

"Leo that is enough!" Phoebe shouted at him. "This hostility is giving me a major migraine."

"Been playing Gladiator too long have you Leo?" Prue snapped at Leo, heading towards Chris to help him up.

He wiped a trickle of blood from his nose and eyed Leo wearily. He kept his distance as he looked between Phoebe and Prue.

"So…where is Piper?" he repeated.

"She…didn't want to come," Phoebe answered.

"Good news is, she got her memory back," Prue offered.

"Well her emotions anyways," Phoebe corrected.

"You need to find her and get her back here. She can't run around like a Valkyrie forever. She has a duty as a Charmed One," Chris ranted.

"Uh…don't blame us future boy. You were the one who convinced her she was one of them," Prue snapped.

"You did what?" Leo spat.

"Back off," Prue hissed, keeping a steady grip on his arm.

"Leo, he is the reason we were able to save your ungrateful ass," Prue snapped at him.

"Where did Chris get those pendants anyways?" Leo asked, still itching to hit Chris again, and Phoebe felt it.

"What did I tell you? Stop it now Leo Wyatt, and drop the subject. Alright, Leo, I know how upset you are. And by know, I mean I literally know. But you're way off base here. Chris has been the model Whitelighter since you've been gone. He's done nothing but good,"

"He's sent us after so many demons, he has been too good," Prue jumped to the young Whitelighter's defense. Leo sighed, but relented for the moment.

"Alright fine. So where is Wyatt? Can I see him?" Leo asked.

"No you can't. He is at Sheila's until we can figure out how to save Piper," Prue said to Leo.

The foursome trooped up to the attic, ready to consult the Book. Prue began flipping through the entry on Valkyries. Meanwhile, on Valhalla they sat in the cave, examining Piper.

"She is Valkryie, but it's not pure," one of them said.

"Part witch?" Freyja asked and the other nodded.

"She wouldn't be the first sister to convert," another offered. The alarm sounded, letting them know several of the warriors had escaped the island.

"They've gone to the city," Mist said.

"I'm from the city," Piper offered. With that they created a portal and stepped through, ready to retrieve their runaway warriors.

In the attic Phoebe was forming a plan to try and get Piper back to them. "I don't understand, why don't we just storm in there and just get her back?" Chris sighed. "It's not like we don't know where she is,"

"Because they would be expecting that, that's why," Leo snapped angrily. "It would be suicide,"

"We got you out didn't we?" Chris shot back.

"But we lost Piper," Leo rebutted.

"Okay, enough! Knock it off, I'm reeling from Piper's anger still, and I don't need this right now," Phoebe said to them, starting to rub her temples.

"Sorry," Chris apologized. Phoebe sighed, and turned to Prue.

"So how's it going?" Phoebe asked Prue.

"I am almost done. Um, I don't mean to burden you with my emotions, but I don't see how reversing the memory spell is going to help."

Across town the Valkyries emerged in an alleyway. They looked around and knew they were close. They spotted one of the warrior's knives protruding from a homeless man.

"We can scry for them.." Piper suggested.

"You mean like a witch can?" one of the others scoffed.

"What do you need?" Freyja asked and Piper pointed to the knife. The head Valkyrie summoned it. Just then a burly looking biker walked.

"Well what do we have here? A Xena convention?" he laughed.

Kara stepped forward towards the biker guy. "On your knees," she commanded.

"Excuse me? I got a better idea. How about you get on your knees instead?" he said snickering. Kara waved her arm at him and instantly he started to writhe in pain.

"Who are you to talk to us this way?" she said stiffly.

"Kara," Freyja started, but Kara started to rant.

"You don't command us. We command you," Piper walked over to her and grabs her hand. "How dare you?"

"This isn't Valhalla. You don't have dominion over men here," Piper explained.

"Then how do you control them?" Kara asked.

"You don't," Piper answered. The biker stood and rushed back inside only to be joined with a bunch of other guys. A short tussle ensued with the girls successfully procuring the guys' clothing and motorcycles. Darryl was at the scene and caught sight of Piper riding off. He immediately flipped open his phone and dialed the Halliwell's number. Phoebe picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" she spoke.

"Phoebe, it's Darryl. This is going to sound really crazy, but I just saw Piper riding off on a motorcycle," he said.

"A motorcycle? You're sure?" Phoebe snorted and Darryl assured her he was sure.

"Thanks," she said and hung up. She turned to face her sister, brother-in-law and the young Whitelighter.

"Darryl spotted Piper," she announced.

"Cool…where is she?" Prue asked, grabbing her coat.

"It seems like they are on the run," Phoebe said. "Piper and a couple other Valkyries drove by near the police station, and towards some warehouse,"

"Alright Leo…lets try and find Piper, but when we find her, you'd better leave, we don't want Piper's emotions to overload Phoebe again," Prue said.

"Wait...I can take you," Chris interjected, feeling left out.

"I think you've caused enough problems as it is," Leo spat.

"Sorry, Chris. But we need Leo for this," Phoebe said, shooting him a sympathetic look. He sighed and disappeared in orbs.

"Boy is he moody," Prue commented as Leo orbed them to a warehouse. When they get there they found the warriors that had followed them fighting the Valkyries.

Piper focused on a hub cap and it flew to her and she blocked an attack from a warrior, and lets out a kick.

"Oooh, way to go Piper!" Phoebe cheered. Prue smacks her arm, "What? She's kicking ass," Piper turned to her sisters, finally seeing that Leo orbed them in.

"Leo…orb out of here now," Prue commanded, and he reluctantly obliged. "Piper…" Prue said in a calm voice, but Piper threw out her arm, and sent Prue flying into the gate. "Ow," she said, standing up.

"Hurry up and reverse the spell!" Phoebe said frantically to Prue.

"Alright," Prue snapped, "Uh, Spell was cast, now make it pass, remove it now, don't ask how!" The spell didn't seem to have effect since Piper waved her arm at Phoebe and sent her flying.

"Oh nice going Prue," Phoebe groaned standing up, and she turned to Piper, "Piper, I know why you'd rather be one of them. It's because you don't want to feel pain. But if you feel the pain, you can feel the good stuff as well,"

"And you said my spell sucked," Prue commented as Piper just continued to glare at them.

"Well at least my way made more sense," Phoebe remarked. They were cornered and had no way out. Just then a warrior came at them, sending a knife flying towards them. Piper spun around and with one hand froze it in midair. She seemed kind of surprised that it had frozen.

"See Piper...feeling emotion is a good thing. It makes your powers work," Phoebe called out.

"Piper...we need you. Your family needs you. We can't defeat evil without the Power of Three," Prue begged.

"And you are a part of that," she continued, slowly walking towards her sister. Just then Freyja touched her pendant and the portal opened. The warriors stopped what they were doing and looked embarrassed.

"Come," the lead Valkyrie commanded and the warriors stepped through.

"Come on, Piper," Mist called. Piper looked at her sisters and back at the Valkyries. After one more glance she jogged after the Valkyries and back through the portal.

"Great," Prue groaned.

After calling for Leo, they orbed back to the manor. Phoebe started to pace around the manor, "There has to be a way to get Piper out of there…I know it,"

"Well, unfortunately the reversal spell…it didn't make Piper remember who she was," Prue commented. She turned to Chris, "What do the Elders think?" Prue asked him.

"They think that a demon stuck Leo in Valhalla," Chris said, and immediately Leo interrupted.

"But they are not sure,"

"Still it is their leading theory," Chris pointed out.

"Ok…can we please focus on Piper?" Phoebe sighed. Leo turned to Phoebe.

"The Elders believe that your new power is the key to save Piper," Leo said to her.

"What do you mean my power can help save Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you can feel her emotions. Why not feel and channel her powers as well," Leo explained. Phoebe thought about it for a minute.

"That makes sense," she said after a while.

"We need to go back to Valhalla then," Prue said, turning to look at Leo and Chris.

"Have fun," Chris said, orbing out of the Manor.

"He is so weird," Prue muttered and looked at Leo.

"We come on. Orb us there so we can go save your wife," she snapped. Leo looked a little offended but took hold of the girls.

They arrived and Piper appeared, seeming to have sensed their intrusion.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, seeing her husband.

"Piper…we are here to come take you home," Phoebe answered for him. Piper was totally against going back. She didn't want to feel the abandonment anymore, the hurt the pain of losing Leo to the Elders.

"I am not going back," Piper said, glaring at her sisters and husband. She waved her hand towards them, but Phoebe stepped forward, and she channeled Piper's feelings, the telekinesis not affecting her. She waved her hand at Piper and sent her flying backwards. She looked at Phoebe in shock, trying to throw her off balance, but once again, it didn't affect Phoebe.

"Prue say the spell," Phoebe said, holding off Piper.

Prue opens up a folded piece of paper and chanted, "Open Piper's heart to reveal, that part which only Phoebe feels, send it back from whence it came, but don't protect her from the pain," Red sparkly lights came out of Phoebe's body, and hit Piper. Suddenly Valkyries shoot out of the bushes and surrounded the Charmed Ones.

"No wait," Piper said, looking at Freyja.

"Did they harm you?" Freyja asked concerned.

"No they helped me. I know what you do here; I understand its purpose so you can trust that your secret is safe. But I think it is time for me to go home," Piper said to her.

Piper touched the pendant that she still wore around her neck and the portal opened. She stepped through it with her sisters and Leo. They reappeared back in the Manor and she pulled it off, returning to her regular clothes.

"Where is Wyatt?" she ask immediately.

"He's with Sheila," Phoebe answered.

"I'll go get him," Leo offered, orbing off only to return moments later with his son in his arms. He and Piper headed upstairs and into the nursery.

"Leo can I ask you something?" Piper asked once they'd put Wyatt down for the night.

"Of course," he said.

"In order for me to figure all of this out...being a single mom...being without you...I need you to not be around," she said as gently as she could.

"I'll always be watching over you and Wyatt," he breathed as he orbed out.


	3. Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not

The girls reappeared in the Manor, Piper clutching Wyatt to her chest. This couldn't be happening.

"Incoming," Phoebe yelled just as the Cleaners appeared in their pristine white suits and ties.

"You can't take my son," Piper spat at them.

"You have no choice. Magic has been exposed and it must be cleaned up," the Cleaner on the right said. In a flash of light, Wyatt disappeared from Piper's arms and appeared in the other Cleaner's.

"Leo!" Piper yelled. He materialized in orbs.

"What? What's going on?" he asked.

"They're trying to take Wyatt. Do something," she ordered.

"I can't," he replied, sounding helpless.

"You won't remember any of this anyways," the first Cleaner said and waved his hand. The entire Manor flashed brightly and every vestige of Wyatt disappeared as did the Cleaners. Piper looked over at Leo and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I don't know…I should go," he said and orbed out of the Manor. Phoebe yawned and stretched her arms over her head.

"I'm beat. I think I'm going to head to bed,' she announced.

"Me too," Prue agreed and followed her sister upstairs.

The next morning Piper hummed a little tune as she walked around the kitchen, making breakfast for Phoebe. Prue had already headed for work and Phoebe had distanced herself from everyone until she could get a handle on her empathic powers. Piper headed for the basement and instantly heard Phoebe groan as she headed down the stairs. Piper walked down the rest of the way. "Its just breakfast Pheebs…"

"Ok…just leave it on the floor and stay behind the white line," Phoebe said, going back to her letters.

"Phoebe…honey, I know you are trying to get a handle on your power, but you can't just hide in the basement forever," Piper reminded her, getting closer to her.

"Just watch me," Phoebe muttered. "From over the white line would be nice," rubbing her temples with her hands.

"Maybe you should talk to Prue about getting a hang of your power," Piper suggested, putting the plate in front of Phoebe.

"Why would Prue help? When she had the power of empathy she nearly went crazy," Phoebe groaned.

"I know that but she got through it," Piper answered. Phoebe looked down at the tray in front of her.

"Uh...you cut my eggs into little bits and cut the crust off my toast...and gave me milk. What am I? Two?" she snapped.

"What? I thought you might like some eggs and toast. And milk...builds strong bones," Piper retorted. Suddenly Phoebe's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" she spoke. From the other end she got a very angry rant from Elise.

"I...no I don't know what you're talking about...oh...ok. I'll be right there," Phoebe said and hung up.

"What was that about?" Piper inquired.

"That was Elise. She says I have to come in now or it's my job," Phoebe breathed, looking unsettled.

Phoebe sighed, not really wanting to be fired from her job. "I'd better go, can't afford to lose my job," Phoebe got up ignoring her food, and grabbing her purse.

"What about breakfast?" Piper asked.

"I'll eat it when I get back, because there is no way I am staying at the office with that many people in it," she said, starting up the stairs.

Across town at P3, Chris took a swig of beer and set the bottle back down on the table next to him. He lay on the couch in the back room in his boxers. He appeared to be quite content until blue and white orbs swirled in and deposited Leo. Chris sat bolt upright and went groping for his pants.

"Leo! I...I didn't know you'd be stopping by," Chris rambled, finally pulling on his pants and zipping them up.

"I see that," Leo remarked, looking very unimpressed.

"You drinking beer?" he asked, noting the bottle sitting on the table.

"I was going to pay for it," Chris mumbled.

"So...what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Came to see how things were going with your charge," Leo answered just as a young blond woman came in.

"Oh...am I interrupting?" Natalie asked. She was dressed in a dress shirt that barely went partway down her thighs. Leo looked between the two. Chris looked away from Leo and Natalie pulled the shirt down a little farther

"Your job is to protect your charge--" Leo began

"Oh he used protection," Natalie interjected.

"Yeah I don't think that's what he meant," Chris groaned.

"I'll...leave you two to talk," Natalie mumbled and disappeared from view. Leo turned his attention back to Chris. Before he could speak, Leo looked around, hearing something strange.

"Did you hear that?" he asked. Chris shook his head.

"Hear what?" Chris asked.

"It sounded like…never mind," Leo muttered, getting back to the scolding at hand.

"What were you thinking?" Leo spat.

"Not only was it inappropriate but it was against the rules," he continued before Chris could speak.

"You're one to talk," Chris grumbled.

"I did not give you a charge to just screw around," Leo chided.

'It's not like anything bad happened. I mean...it's not like I have anything pressing to do," Chris muttered.

"Nothing pressing to do? Then why exactly did you come here from the future?" Leo demanded.

"I uh...don't really remember," Chris answered. With that Leo orbed out in anger and Natalie stuck her head back in.

"He gone?" she asked and Chris nodded.

In the park, Prue was setting up her tripod. Her small crew was trying to rope off their filming area. She grabbed her camera from her bag and gently removed the lens cap. She set the piece of equipment on the stand and positioned it for the first set of shots.

"Hey!" one of her assistants shouted. Prue looked up to see a group of kids with skateboards coming straight for them. Prue groaned.

"Don't you have to be in school?" she called to the four boys.

"Why do you care?" one of them asked. The assistant that had shouted at them initially was at Prue's side.

"She told you to buzz off yesterday," he spat.

"I did?" she asked.

"Yeah…don't you remember? They skated through the shoot," he reminded her.

"Oh…yeah. Look, just go skate somewhere else," Prue said before heading back to her camera. One of the other boys flipped her off. Prue smiled to herself a little as he flicked her wrist, sending their boards backwards. The boys tripped, and Prue couldn't help but chuckle a little bit.

Over at the Bay Mirror, Phoebe walked into the office to see most of her colleagues looking very worse for wear. Just as she was trying to avoid bumping into people, Phoebe nearly collided with Elise.

"My office, now," Elise spat. Phoebe cringed a little and followed her boss into her office and sat down.

"What happened to everyone?" Phoebe asked, noting Elise's black eye.

"What happened? You should know! You started it," Elise retorted sharply.

"What? No…I did?" Phoebe gasped.

"People are in the hospital with injuries…Jackie has a broken nose and not to mention me," Elise continued, pointing to her eye.

"Yeah…that look like it hurts," Phoebe agreed.

"It's all I can do to keep lawsuits from pouring in," Elise railed.

"I…honestly don't remember what happened," Phoebe repeated and faked a cough.

"I'm sorry…I'm feeling worse," Phoebe said, hacking some more and rushed out of the office.

On her way back to the Manor, she called Prue and filled her in on what had happened. Prue said she'd be home as soon as she could. It was after noon by the time Prue could slip away from her shoot.

"Hey guys, let's take lunch," she called. She got nods from the various techs and assistants and rushed off towards her car. She pulled in to find Phoebe's car in the driveway. Piper's was nowhere to be seen.

"Pheebs!" Prue called when she walked through the door.

"In the sun room," Phoebe answered.

"So what is going on?" Prue asked, sitting down across from her younger sister.

"So Elise called me in to the office today and told me I started a riot," Phoebe said.

"You what?" Prue asked.

"Ok…can you tone down the anger a little…it's giving me a headache," Phoebe said, shrinking back a little.

"Sorry," Prue mumbled.

"But I don't remember starting it…I don't really remember much of anything about yesterday.

"Yeah…now that you mention it, same with me. Apparently these kids skated through our shoot yesterday and were really obnoxious about it and I told them to get out of my way. They were back today," Prue rambled.

"What about Piper?" she added.

"I don't know. She's out right now I think," Phoebe answered. Just then the front door opened and Piper walked with groceries.

"Anybody home?" she called out. Phoebe and Prue headed for the kitchen. Prue grabbed the bag from Piper's arm.

"What are you doing home?' she asked both of them.

"We have a magical problem," Prue answered.

"What kind of magical problem?" Piper groaned.

"What do you remember about yesterday?" Phoebe asked.

"Well…I remember getting up and going downstairs…but the rest is kind of a blur. Why?" Piper answered.

"Well I started a riot that I don't remember starting," Phoebe stated.

"And I had a bunch of rowdy kids mess up a photoshoot that I don't remember," Prue added.

"So you're asking me to remember something I've apparently forgotten?" Piper snapped.

"We just…think maybe something is going on and we need to figure it out," rue answered.

"Alright fine. Everybody up to the attic," Piper sighed, looking at the groceries still sitting on the counter.

Phoebe and Prue headed for the attic while Piper stopped off in her room. She nearly walked right into Leo. He was staring at the closet.

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked.

"I…it's nothing," he answered. Piper placed a hand on his arm and he looked at her.

"It's just strange…I've been hearing…" he began but she cut him off.

"Babies?" she asked and he nodded.

"Me too…why didn't we have kids?" she sighed.

"Guess we just weren't ready," Leo mumbled.

"Piper!" Prue's voice called from the attic.

"Leo…I…asked you to stay away for a reason…so I could learn to live without you…and I can't really do that if you just drop in whenever you feel like it," she said as she headed for the door. He just nodded and orbed out. Piper headed for the attic where she found her sisters holding a piece of paper.

"So we think we have a spell that will restore our memory," Prue said. Piper raised an eyebrow but watched as her sibling cast the spell.

"Moments lost make witches wonder, warlock's plot or demon's plunder. If this is not a prank, help us to fill in the blanks," Prue read. The room around them flashed brightly and the girls looked down to see they were wearing yesterday's clothes.

"Hey, you're band aid is gone," Prue noted. Phoebe touched her head. The bandage was indeed gone. Just then there was a cry from downstairs. Piper's eyes widened and bolted downstairs; her sisters close behind her. Piper ran to where the child clung to the edge of the playpen and picked him up.

"I think…I think I am a Mom," Piper said. He calmed down in Piper's arms and suddenly the memories just flooded back. "Wyatt…" Piper said, and he smiled up at her. "How could I forget you?" she whispered to him.

"Why would they make us forget about Wyatt?" Phoebe questioned, walking over to Piper to grab his hand.

"Ok Prue…wasn't your good camera broken?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," Prue said, and Phoebe pointed towards her camera, all fixed like nothing happened.

"Ok…I think our spell just brought us back to yesterday…we have to re-live it I guess to obtain our full memory of what happened…" Phoebe mumbled.

"So what...you're supposed to go to work and start a riot?" Piper asked.

"I guess so...and Prue...you're supposed to go to your shoot and break your camera," Phoebe replied.

"What about me?" Piper questioned, trying to calm Wyatt down.

"Stay home...try to notice everything...it might be important to remembering what we forgot," Prue said and headed for the front hall to grab her coat.

"Come on sweetie. It's ok. Did I forget how to be a Mommy?" she asked as he continued to whine.

"You're feeling insecure. And he is feeling very sad. Poor little guy," Phoebe said, getting an empathic vibe from her sister and nephew. Piper set Wyatt back down in the playpen. She picked up a grungy teddy bear and made it dance along the edge of the pen.

"Here honey. You want this?" she asked. He continued to whimper and Piper looked to Phoebe.

"A little help here," she begged.

"We hate that toy. It's old and smelly and gross," Phoebe answered. Piper tossed it aside.

"What does he want then," she asked. Phoebe pointed to the TV.

"That," she said.

"I am a failure as a mother, I don't even know what my own son wants," Piper sighed, walking over to the TV.

"Piper, honey you are just feeling a little insecure while Wyatt is feeling sad…poor little guy," Phoebe said, backing away from the crib a little bit. "Well…we have less to worry about than TV influence Piper…" Phoebe reminded her.

Piper turned on the TV and put on a kid show. "Mommy will be just in the other room ok?" Piper said to Wyatt, and ruffled his hair lightly. Wyatt looked at the TV and Piper walked out of the room with Phoebe tailing behind her. Wyatt thought the show was boring, so he blinked his eyes and instantly the TV changed to a show about dragons. Wyatt smiled seeing something else besides an educational program.

The child watched the creatures on the screen. With another blink one of the dragons disappeared in orbs and reappeared outside. Wyatt gave a little laugh as the dragon roared. As the dragon took off, its massive wing hit the closed doors to the sun room. The doors swung open and knocked a vase over. The crash drew Piper and Phoebe back into the room. Prue hadn't left yet and stuck her head in.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Must have been the wind," Phoebe suggested.

"But they were locked," Piper said.

"It might be a clue," Phoebe noted.

"Ok...go you two," Piper said, shooing her sisters out of the house.

Meanwhile at P3 Leo was trying to convince Chris that he needed another charge. "You're kidding right?" Chris snapped at Leo. "I don't have the time for another charge,"

"Why not?" Leo asked folding his arms over his chest. Chris resisted the urge to rub his hand over his face and he sighed.

"Because I just don't," Chris said vaguely, "Why do you want me to oversee another charge anyway?"

"I want to see what you are capable of doing," Leo replied. Chris repressed a snort; Leo just wanted to keep a better eye on him.

"You just don't want me around the sisters because you don't trust me," Chris accused.

"I protected other charges while I was a Whitelighter," Leo reminded him. Yeah and see where it led him, Chris thought to himself.

"I came back for one reason…and one reason only. To protect Wyatt," Chris said in a stern voice.

"Right…to save him from some demon that attacks in the future but you don't know which one yet," Leo reminded him.

"You know what…fine. Don't believe me. But there is no way I'm taking on another charge and that is..." he said and stood up, heading out of the club when a young woman appeared before.

"That," he finished, taking in her figure.

"Hi, Leo. Sorry I'm late," Natalie apologized.

"It's ok," Leo said.

"Well…maybe just one more," Chris said, looking back over at Leo before he orbed out.

Phoebe sighed as she walked into the Bay Mirror's office. "Phoebe…oh thank god you came in. We lost your column when the server crash…do you have the hard copy?" one of her co-workers asked.

"Um…let me check my office," Phoebe murmured as she felt a wave of anger flooded towards her.

"It's not what you did, Elise, it's how you did it!" a man shouted.

"Well lucky I'm the editor so I don't have to care what you think," Elise said cockily. "Don't think we are done here,"

"Screw you Elise!" he shouted back. Losing control, she tapped Elise on the shoulder and punched her in the face.

"Oh my god…" Phoebe muttered. The man laughed and the security guard started to get in his face. "Hold it! Wait! Don't!" Phoebe started, but she got pushed, and she hit her head on the desk. That's it, she thought to herself, anger flowing through her veins, getting back into the angry battle.

In the park, Prue was setting up for her photoshoot. She noticed that the sky was starting to cloud over and she groaned. She needed just a little more sunlight to get this shoot done. Then it could rain all it wanted. She looked around as her staff started to show up.

"Ok guys…let's get this going," she called, motioning them to set up the lights. Just as she was balancing the camera on the tripod a couple of kids on skateboards rolled up to the shoot. Prue glared at them but they didn't move.

"Hey, this is a private photoshoot," she called, storming over to them.

"Like we care," one of the kids shot back.

"Yeah…it's a public park," another added.

"I'll give you to the count of five to get out of my photoshoot before I call the cops," she threatened. A few of the kids seemed to take her seriously and headed around all of the equipment. The leader of the group however started to skate right through the workers.

"Watch it," a couple of them shouted at the kid. He didn't seem to hear them. He was about to grind on the edge of the bench when he let out a yelp. His board skidded from beneath his feet and he went stumbling forwards, knocking Prue's camera over. Her first instinct was to scream at him for breaking her camera. But she had to remember that it could be a clue.

"Here," she said, offering her hand. He looked embarrassed as he took it.

"Guess you should practice some more," she commented.

"No…I thought I saw…something weird," he muttered.

"Something…what kind of something?" Prue demanded.

"I…it looked like…" he trailed.

"Spit it out," she demanded again.

"A dragon," he answered. Prue looked to the sky to see the retreating form of a dragon.

"Oh…that is not good," she groaned.

"Guys…I have to go back home and get a new camera," she called, picking up the busted one and heading for her car. Prue climbed in and drove as quickly as she could to the Bay Mirror. As soon as she stepped into the office, she had to duck when a mug flew past her head. She saw Phoebe fighting multiple people, and Prue groaned. She ran towards Phoebe, and Phoebe attempted to throw a punch at her. Prue grabbed Phoebe's fist and dragged her out of there.

"Whoa…" Phoebe murmured.

"Yeah whoa," Prue commented, "That was a pretty bad riot going on there,"

"I hate my new power," Phoebe grumbled as Prue started up the car to drive them home.

They pulled into the driveway and climbed out, rushing up the front steps.

"Piper!" Prue called.

"I'll check the attic," Phoebe muttered and headed up the stairs. Prue searched the first floor of the house but came up with nothing.

"She's not upstairs,' Phoebe announced.

"She's not down here either," Prue replied just as her cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Prue," Piper said from the other end.

"Piper…where are you?" Prue asked.

"Where am I? I'm standing outside the Presidio tunnel where your nephew just orbed me to," she answered. Phoebe grabbed the phone.

"What did you say?" she asked in shock. Piper repeated her statement.

"We need to get there," Phoebe hissed as she covered the phone with her hand. Prue snatched the phone back.

"Come on," Prue said and astral projected them to the tunnel.

"Are you nuts?" Piper hissed when her sisters materialized.

"Aren't you worried about exposure?" she added.

"That's why we were trying to find you," Prue said.

"What?" Piper asked just as a car came screeching out of the tunnel on fire.

"There's a dragon loose in the city," Phoebe said.

Flames started to come out of the tunnel and Wyatt orbed himself and Piper out of the way, whilst Prue astral projected Phoebe and herself back to the manor. The TV was still on in the conservatory, and it was currently on the news channel. "Police are at the tunnel saying it is a miracle that no one was hurt…although three cars were destroyed," the news reporter informed, "Terrorism hasn't been ruled out yet, but we have been hearing that people have seen a giant bird like-," Prue sighed, and turned off the TV.

"That's a pretty big clue if you ask me," Prue said, as she turned to Piper who was currently placing a band-aid on Phoebe's head.

"Ow," Phoebe murmured as Piper pressed down.

"Sorry," Piper apologized.

"Not my pain, I'm feeling its yours," Phoebe said.

"Then you should feeling a little irritated too," Piper snapped.

"Oh honey, don't blame yourself. It isn't your fault," Phoebe said, getting another empathic vibe. Piper glared at her.

"Ok…number one…I haven't actually verbalized guilt yet. So next time, let me admit it before you start to analyze me," Piper snapped.

"Sorry…" Phoebe mumbled.

"Secondly, it is my fault. I was the plopped Wyatt down in front of the electronic babysitter," she added. Phoebe turned to look at Prue.

"Any idea what she's talking about?" Phoebe asked.

"No," Prue answered shortly.

"You want a clue…here's one. When we came back in this morning…Wyatt was watching a show…wait for it…about dragons," Piper explained.

"No…he was watching a kid's show," Phoebe countered.

"Well he must have magically changed the channel while we were out of the room," Piper snapped.

"Which of course was before he magically orbed me to the tunnel to find his new friend," she continued. Phoebe beamed down at her nephew.

"He did all that? What a big boy," she aid, ruffling his hair.

"Wow," Prue murmured. "Conjuring a dragon straight out of the TV. You must be so proud Piper," Piper just glared at her, giving her a look that clearly said 'Don't push it sister'.

"Or a little irritated," Piper grumbled looking at her son.

"Oh yeah," Phoebe said, clearly feeling that radiating off of her. "Well his powers are growing…"

"To the point on unleashing Godzilla on the city? How the hell am I supposed to handle this?"

"Well, now we know that our memory loss is connected with the dragon," Prue said.

"The question is by whom," Piper said, lightly bouncing Wyatt.

"Come on…we have fixed these kind of magical messes before, I mean we have dealt with worse," Phoebe said, trying desperately to get them out of their depressed moods.

Two men in white appeared next to them and Prue swished her arm at them, but no affect. "Perhaps we can help," one of them said, before glaring at Prue.

"Who the hell are you?" Piper snapped at them, bringing Wyatt closer.

"We are known as the Cleaners and we're here to help," the first man said.

"Cleaners?" Prue asked, looking confused.

"When magic is exposed, it is our job to clean it up," the second Cleaner explained.

"Exposure? You're just here to take my son away you bastard," Piper snarled, using her free hand to try and blow the first Cleaner up. He blocked her attempt with ease.

"We understand your anger. But you need to understand our position. Magic has been exposed and to that end…well your son has become a problem," the first Cleaner said calmly.

"Easy Piper," Phoebe said, feeling her anger growing.

"However," the other cleaner said, "based upon your past in covering up your own magic…we decided to give you a chance,"

"Only one," his associate said sternly. "Take care of the problem before it gets out of hand,"

"And if we can't?" Prue shot at them.

"Then we'll take care of the problem for you," The cleaner said in a dull voice. Piper's wrist started to wring and she really wanted to blow up these white suited cleaners.

"You can't make us forget everything," Piper groused.

"There may be some distant echoes that remain, maybe a sense of déjà vu here and there…you'll just pass it off as absentmindedness like anyone else would,"

"Well we aren't like most people," Piper shot back at them.

"It won't matter. Just clean it up," the first Cleaner said.

"Or we will," his companion added before they disappeared. Piper turned to look at her sisters. What the hell were they going to do?

"At least we know what happened. Too bad we're screwed and can't stop it," Prue muttered darkly.

"Guys…I think we have the upper hand. We know today already happened. They obviously don't," Phoebe reminded them.

"That helps us how exactly?" Prue questioned. Without a word, Piper handed Wyatt to Phoebe.

"Piper?" Phoebe called.

"Go to the attic…check the book and don't let Wyatt out of your sight," Piper called over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Prue called back.

"Going to consult a higher power," Piper shouted. Piper stormed into her room, leaving behind a bewildered Prue and Phoebe. She angrily slammed her door.

"Leo!" Piper bellowed. He didn't orb in and Piper was growing more agitated.

"Leo! I know you can hear me! I know I told you to go away, but I really need you…" still nothing, "God damn it Leo, Wyatt's in trouble!"

Leo immediately orbed in, worry etched onto his face, "What do you mean, what happened?"

"Well it seems our son has conjured a little dragon," Piper muttered angrily.

"How can you let this happen?" Leo demanded. Piper couldn't restrain back anymore, and she whipped her hand hard across his face.

"How could I let this happen?" Piper repeated, getting in Leo's face. "Why weren't you watching his every move like you freaking promised Leo? Were you too busy fraternizing with the other Elders!?"

Leo ignored Piper's last comment, "You know that's not what I meant,"

"Then don't imply that it is all my fault! I have beaten myself up already, and I do not need your condescending bullshit from you too,"

"Sorry…" Leo murmured, wishing he could comfort her, "I'm just scared,"

"Well I'm scared too Leo," Piper said bitterly. "That is why I called you, because I am not going to lose our son!"

"So please help me…help Wyatt," Piper pleaded, momentarily tucking her anger away. Leo turned his head away from her and sighed.

"Piper if I could-,"

"Don't you dare say that! Don't say anything about Elders, or those goddamned rules, because you know what? He is your son, there are no rules," Piper growled.

"Piper, please try to understand, Cleaners are empowered by both good and evil…"

"No…no, I have lost too much already, they are not going to take my son away!" Piper said, poking his chest. "Why aren't you more angry about this?"

"Piper…" Leo sighed, "you weren't in a position to lose our son, which means there is a way to save him…"

"But how?" Piper sighed.

"I don't know…but if anybody can find it, you can. Maybe it is a maternal solution, deep down inside I know you can find a solution to this," he said orbing away.

"Yeah…you were so much help," Piper muttered angrily heading into the attic.

"How'd it go with Leo?" Phoebe asked. Piper didn't answer right away.

"Well…this is just great. Dragons predate the book," Prue grumbled.

"But…we'll need a scale or tooth in order to create a vanquishing potion," she added, just filling Piper in.

"So we're making as powerful a potion as we can," Phoebe added. Just then Phoebe doubled over in pain, letting out a cry.

"Pheebs…what's wrong?" Prue asked, rushing to her sister's side.

"I…someone is hurt…actually a bunch of people," Phoebe answered.

"People? Like out there people?" Piper asked and Phoebe nodded.

"I've never felt so much pain and fear before," Phoebe rasped.

"The dragon?" Prue asked and Phoebe nodded.

"Come on. Let's go," Piper said and picked up Wyatt.

"Hey sweetie, remember your friend mister dragon? Let's go find him," she said. Phoebe and Prue took hold of Piper and they all disappeared in orbs. They appeared near where the dragon was and saw people running and screaming in fear.

"Wow…" Phoebe murmured, trying to ignore everyone's fear and pain. "It looks like a war zone,"

They saw a pile of burning cars and saw the dragon's tail. "Alright…lets do this," Prue said, focusing on one of the scales, and with a discreet wave of her hand one scale flew off the dragon, and it roared.

"Oh…ok, I think I just woke it up," Prue said, as the scale floated over to her.

"No…Prue," Phoebe said squeezing onto Prue, "You just pissed it off," Phoebe squeezed onto Prue's shoulder tighter. "Alright…I think it is time to go,"

"Wait," Piper suddenly had a thought, "Take Wyatt," Piper commanded giving Wyatt to Phoebe.

"Piper…what are you doing?" Phoebe questioned.

"I don't have time to explain, just make sure Wyatt sees me," Piper said, heading towards the dragon.

"Piper, get back here!' Prue demanded. Piper ignored her sister's shouts.

"Come on you big, fire breathing lizard. Come and get me!" Piper shouted at the giant creature. It glared down at her and emitted a burst of fire.

"Piper are you nuts! Get out of there," Prue continued.

"Just stay there," Piper shouted back as the dragon rose into the air and began to circle her.

"We have to stop her," Prue grumbled but Phoebe held her back.

"No…I think I know what she's doing," Phoebe answered.

"Come on, Wyatt. Don't let Mommy down," Piper breathed as the dragon dove towards her. Wyatt watched the dragon and his mother and with a blink of his eyes the dragon disappeared in orbs, the force sending Piper skidding backwards on the ground. She gave a little shriek but realized she was ok.

"It's ok. I'm fine," she said, standing up and taking Wyatt back.

"Hey there little man. You did it! Good job," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Uh…someone want to fill me in on what just happened?" Prue asked.

"The greatest power there is; a mother and child bond…especially when that child is Wyatt," Phoebe clarified.

"He vanquished the dragon and you knew he would," Prue commented and Piper nodded.

"Well I was hoping he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me," she answered.

"Ok…so the dragon is gone…what about this mess?" Prue sighed, looking around

"We'll think of something," Phoebe said. A bright light shone in front of them and the Cleaners appeared.

"No, actually you won't," the first Cleaner said.

"We did what you asked. We got rid of the dragon," Piper said defensively.

"But you didn't eliminate the exposure risk," the second commented.

"You're not taking my son!" Piper shouted. She grabbed Phoebe and Prue by the hands and held Wyatt tight. Wyatt seemed to sense the urgency of the situation and orbed them back to the Manor. They reappeared in the front hall.

"Incoming," Phoebe yelled just as the Cleaners appeared in their pristine white suits and ties.

"You can't take my son," Piper spat at them.

"You have no choice. Magic has been exposed and it must be cleaned up," the Cleaner on the right said. In a flash of light, Wyatt disappeared from Piper's arms and appeared in the other Cleaner's.

"You won't remember anything, we promise," the first Cleaner said and they disappeared. All vestiges of Wyatt disappeared from the Manor.

"Do you remember?" Phoebe asked her sisters.

"Everything," Prue replied.

"Looks like the spell worked," Prue said, helping Piper and Phoebe up.

"Not for Wyatt…" Piper said sadly, "He's gone,"

"Piper…don't give up," Prue said, "Come on we will go look for the Cleaners in the Book of Shadows."

They trudged upstairs and Prue flipped through the book but found nothing.

"They're not in here," she sighed.

"Well they've got to exist somewhere, right?" Phoebe mused.

"Not necessarily…at least not on or plane…or even in our time," Piper interjected.

"Why don't we just summon them?" Prue suggested.

"And then what?" Piper asked. Prue shrugged.

"I'm just throwing out ideas here. We could try Leo again," she offered.

"I don't think he can help any more than he already has," Piper murmured.

"How'd he help last time?" Phoebe questioned.

"By reminding me that I can do this," Piper answered.

"Maybe we are going about this all wrong. Maybe we should be trying to get them to stop us, instead of us trying to stop them," Piper said.

"You lost me," Phoebe said.

'Well, when magic is exposed…" Piper started.

"Its their job to clean up the magical mess…" Prue added.

"Ok…I'm lost still," Phoebe said in a bewildered voice.

"So why can't we expose our magic and force them to deal with us?" Piper asked.

"It could work," Phoebe murmured.

"Let's go…I think I know exactly where we need to do this," Prue said and grabbed her keys. They went over the plan in the car as they drove to the TV station. They got there and the anchors were doing the weather segment. Phoebe stepped into view of the camera.

"How about we get a sky cam view of that," Phoebe suggested. She took the male anchor by the jacket and levitated intot he air.

"Help! Put me down," he yelped.

"I…I'm not sure what's going on here," the woman said, looking confused.

"It's magic," Prue said. He flicked her wrist and the woman's jacket went soaring towards her.

"Want to see some more? How about we check in with Piper at the Golden Gate Bridge," Phoebe said, finally putting the man down. The camera turned to show Piper at the bridge.

"Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the seen the be unseen," she chanted and the bridge disappeared.

"You might want to take an alternate route to work in the morning," she said and the screen went black.

The girls returned home as quickly as Prue could drive without getting pulled over for speeding.

"That wasn't too bad," Phoebe said with a smile.

"Yeah…Pheebs it's time to come out of the basement," Piper said. Just then the Cleaners reappeared.

"What do you think you are doing? Are you out of your minds?" the first Cleaner asked sternly.

"Oh hi? Did you see our little magic act?" Piper asked with a smile.

"How do you still have your memory?" the second Cleaner asked.

"Well…I think we have a few things you don't know about," Phoebe replied coolly.

"And if you don't return our nephew, you may just find out about a few more," Prue threatened.

"This is pointless. Everything you do, we will simply erase," the first Cleaner sneered.

"Or we'll erase you," his companion said.

"You can't do that…if you are truly neutral you can't get rid of us, or that will tip the balance from good to evil. You will give me my son back or I swear to you the only thing you'll be doing for the next fifty years is cleaning up after us" she hissed.

"If we do return him, how do you know you'll be able control him?"

"I'm his mother," Piper said simply. Wyatt appeared in his playpen. He looked content and happy.

"We will leave him in your care for now," the second Cleaner said.

"All evidence of his magic has been erased," the first added and they began to disappear.

"Oh…hang on…can you do me just one tiny little favor? Can you erase that little riot I caused at work. Don't want to lose my job…might upset that balance," Phoebe said. The second Cleaner closed his eyes.

"It is done. Good luck. Believe me, you're going to need it," he said and they disappeared. Phoebe turned to look at Piper and grabbed Wyatt from the playpen.

"Oh I'm so glad to see you," she squealed, holding him tight.

"Don't smash him," Piper called.

"I'm just so happy. He's back…we're back," she said.

Leo orbed into the back of P3, and saw Chris putting on his shoes. "Hey," he said, making his presence known.

"Hey, didn't know you were coming here," the younger man stated.

"What are you doing here Chris, shouldn't you be with your charge?" Leo questioned with a frown on his face.

"Yeah…about that," Chris sighed, "I'm, uh, going back to what I originally said. I'm here to protect Wyatt and the sisters, that is it," Chris said with finality in his voice.

"Alright, if that is how you feel…I'll reassign her,"

"Thank you," Chris said, and Leo nodded before orbing out.

Back at the Manor, Piper sat in the conservatory rocking Wyatt. He gazed up at her and snuggled closer to her.

"I'm proud of you little man," she whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of his head as his eyelids drooped.


	4. The Power of Three Blonds

The Power of Three Blonds

The attic door opened and the sisters walked in, looking rather worse for wear. Piper shut the door and took a deep breath as she looked over at Phoebe.

"You're ok. We're all ok," she said.

"How can I be ok? That demon wiped out that entire family of innocents," Phoebe retorted. Prue ran a hand through her hair and looked around the attic.

"If that demon is anywhere in that book I'm going to find him and vanquish his sorry ass," she said, taking a step towards the book. Phoebe and Piper sunk down on the couch.

"Those poor kids…they were so scared. I can still feel their pain," Phoebe breathed. Piper glared at her younger sister.

"Maybe you could feel their pain a little less, Phoebe," she spat.

"Piper, she's an empath now," Prue reminded her.

"I know what her powers are, Prue. Look…I think we need a little bonding time. I'll go make some tea," Piper said and started to stand up.

"No…we need to hunt down that demon," Phoebe called.

"Yeah…I mean did you see those teeth?" Prue added.

"We need to vanquish it…for those kids…all six of them," Phoebe sighed. Piper slowly turned around.

"Ok fine. We'll check the book and do tea later," she said. She walked up to the book and reached out to open it. It jumped away from her, landing on the floor. She grunted a little and bent down. She dove for it but again it flew out of her reach. She stood and looked at her sisters.

"I knew it wouldn't work," she grumbled.

"It's your fault. There aren't any demons with razor sharp flying teeth," Phoebe shot at Prue.

"My fault? I wasn't the one who turned the innocents into the Von Trapp family, Phoebe," Prue shot back.

"Did too," Phoebe taunted.

"Did not," Prue argued back.

"Shut up!" Piper spat. She snapped her fingers and transformed into a young blond woman.

"It's my fault for going along with you two We can look like the Charmed Ones all we want but we won't get anywhere. If we want the Book, we need to become them," Mabel explained. Phoebe and Prue snapped their fingers and they too became blond.

"It's time we gave my identify theft spell a try," she added.

"Are you kidding? They'd come after us…" Mitzy argued.

"Yeah…that's dangerous," Margo agreed.

"Oh grow up! Do you want to be hustlers your whole lives?" Mabel snapped, rolling her eyes.

"It's time to think big…and that means…we need to convince the whole world that we are them," she continued.

"But…I don't want to be them. I want to be bad," Mitzy muttered.

"Yeah…bad is better," Margo said.

"Then stick with me girls. Because once we have their identities, we can steal their powers and we'll have our own power of three. You know what that means," she said. Her sisters shook their heads that they didn't follow.

"We will be the untouchable sisters," Mabel said, looking proud. Suddenly there were footsteps on the stairs.

"Phoebe? Prue? Are you up there?" Piper called. Mabel looked at her sisters.

"Perfume, girls," she said. They all pulled out bottles of perfume and spritzed themselves, disappearing just as Piper appeared. She looked down to see the book lying on the ground.

"What is that doing on the floor?" she mumbled to herself as she picked it up and put it back on the pedestal.

Piper just shook her head and headed downstairs. The next day came and Piper was at P3. Piper was on the phone, "What time did he go to sleep? Okay, can you call me as soon as he starts to stir? Okay, thanks," Piper sighed hanging up the phone. She looked towards Jack and called out, "Uh, Jack, the band is coming in an hour to set up and do a sound check. Can you take care of them for me? I want to be home when my baby wakes up,"

"I'm on it," he replied with a smile on his face. Phoebe rushed down the stairs, "Hey you ready for lunch?" she questioned, sitting on a barstool.

"How about I cook a nice homemade lunch at home?" Piper said instead, wanting to be near her son.

"Piper…why did we get a nanny again?" Phoebe asked and Piper sighed.

"I know, I know…" Piper said getting her purse ready to go.

"So let's go…" Phoebe practically moaned.

"Pheebs…what is with the moan?" Piper asked with an eye roll.

"Piper…" Phoebe whispered.

"What Phoebe?" Piper whispered getting closer to her.

"That new bartender…a very cute one I must add…is so checking you out," Phoebe whispered. Piper looked over her shoulder and Jack smiled at her. She smiled back at him before turning around.

"You're telling me…you're feeling what he's feeling….for me?" she asked and Phoebe nodded.

"I hate my power. It's like I can't control, "Phoebe began but was hit with more emotion. Piper hit her with a napkin.

"Alright, take your shoes for a walk pal," she said, looking at Jack. He raised his eyebrow but left the room.

"Ok...that's kind of creepy," Piper sighed.

"It's so bad. You should have seen me the last time Jason was in town. I mean…I couldn't keep my hands off of him," Phoebe groaned.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do this weekend," she sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"He's flying in from Hong Kong…again? He is falling for you, Pheebs," Piper commented.

"You think so? I hope so. But all I get from him is this really strong sexual desire," Phoebe rambled.

"Oh…yeah because that's bad," Piper said mockingly.

"Yes it's bad…if that's all he feels for me. I just don't want to get hurt…I've had enough hurt in my life," Phoebe sighed.

"Ok…so…take him out to a restaurant…a nice public place where you can't go buck wild and ask him how he really feels," Piper suggested as she rounded the bar.

"Sneaky my sister," Phoebe laughed, wrapping an arm around Piper's shoulders.

"And if that doesn't work…just ask him about the weather in Hong Kong," Piper added. Just as they were about to start up the stairs, Chris orbed right in front of them.

"No," the said in unison.

"We're not hunting demons. We're going to lunch," Phoebe added.

"Besides, you need to be more careful. Someone could have seen you," Piper interjected before Chris could speak.

"Hey…I'm not unreasonable, ok. We can hunt demons after lunch," he said.

"By the way, have you seen Leo?" Chris asked.

"No…I haven't," Piper answered.

"Me neither," Phoebe added.

"If you do…let me know. There's a rumor floating around up there that he has a lead on who sent him to Valhalla," Chris explained.

"I'm sure that's all really important but we have more important things. Did either of you leave the book on the floor last night?" Piper replied.

"On the floor?" Chris asked, thinking about it for a minute.

"I didn't," Phoebe answered.

"Chris?" Piper said.

"I vaguely remember hearing a story that started like this in the future," Chris stated.

"I think a demon was after the book," he added.

"Demons are after the book every day," Phoebe retorted.

"No…it's different this time. I think they get it. You should take this as a serious threat," he said.

"And let Prue know…by the way…where is Prue?" he asked.

"She's at a photoshoot…like always,' Piper answered as they headed up the stairs.

"Another one?" Chris grumbled.

"Hey, it's her job. Besides it's what she loves doing…it's her getaway from magic," Phoebe added.

"I guess," he mumbled.

In the house across the street from the Manor, the Stillman sisters peered out the window. Mabel was staring at the house, trying to see if anyone was home.

"I can't tell if anyone is home," she grumbled.

"When I get Piper's powers, I'm so going to freeze these facial lines," Margo said, looking in the mirror.

"Mitzy will get Piper's powers. You'll get Phoebes," Mabel said.

"That's not fair," Margo whined. Just then Mitzy walked in with food.

"Stake out take out anyone?" she asked, setting the things on the table. Mabel turned around and walked over to the table.

"All I asked for was a scrying bowl," she said.

"Hey just because we killed the owners doesn't mean have to let the food go to waste," Mitzy remarked. Mabel pulled out a bottle with a black liquid and poured it into the bowl.

"Give me sight through the blackest vile, show me the faces I revile," she chanted. Piper appeared in the liquid. She was feeding Wyatt.

"Piper's the only one home. We need all three of them to be home for my spell to work," she said.

"Ew, she's with the baby. The first thing I'm going to do is astral project that baby into a volcano," Mitzy muttered.

"Mabel gets Prue's powers. It's by sorority," Margo answered.

"That's seniority, Margo. And that's not fair," Mitzy whined.

"There is nothing wrong with Piper's powers. You can freeze things," Mabel said.

"Yeah but…you can astral project," she whined.

"You think I want to see what happens to people or how they feel?" Margo groaned.

"Cut it out, both of you," Mabel ordered.

"Honestly what is wrong with you two. We have worked way too hard for this to fall apart now," she continued. Just then the doorbell rang. She crossed the room and pulled it open. A salesman stood on the front steps.

"Are you the lady of the house?" he asked, clutching a vacuum cleaner.

"Go away," she snapped and slammed the door in his face. She turned back to her bickering sisters.

"This is the biggest and most important con of our lives, girls. If we mess this up, we'll be two-bit hustlers the rest of our lives," she said, sounding desperate to succeed. Again she is interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"But you haven't seen the new Kelby 3000," he said, holding up the vacuum.

"Just get inside," she sighed and he crossed the threshold. She turned back to her siblings again.

"Look…the secret of the Charmed Ones lies in their sisterhood, the Power of Three. Well you know what, we have our own sisterhood…our own Power of Three," she said.

"Just stick together and we can have it all," she pleaded.

"You won't have it all until you have the Kelby 3000," the salesman began to sell his pitch. Mabel summoned an athame and stabbed him in the chest. He slunk to the ground, motionless.

"You're right. I'm sorry sweetie," Mitzy said, hugging her sister.

"Me too," she replied.

"That's better. Now let's relax and wait until the other two get home," Mabel said.

Back at the Manor, Piper was in the kitchen, trying to get Wyatt to eat his lunch. He kept turning his head away every time she tried to get the spoon near his mouth.

"Come on sweetie. Here, Mommy will try it. See yummy," she said, taking a bite. She grimaced at the taste.

"Oh wow…wow that's awful," she gagged. Just then orbs jingled next to her and Leo appeared.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said, standing up.

"I…was looking for Chris. I heard he was asking about me," Leo answered.

"Yeah…he thinks you found out who sent you to Valhalla," Piper replied.

"He did?" Leo mumbled, tickling Wyatt. Wyatt giggled, reaching out and grabbing Leo's finger.

"Yes. But he isn't here…and even if he was…couldn't you just sense him…like you sensed me here with Wyatt," she sighed.

"As an Elder I watch over him every minute but it's not the same," Leo murmured, making a funny face, sending his son into a fit of giggles.

"Sometimes I orb into the nursery at night to hold him," he explained.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"For missing your son? It's ok," she said. Just then the front door opened.

"Piper, are you home?" Prue called.

"I should go," Leo said and orbed out, causing Wyatt to start screaming.

"It's ok sweetie," Piper sighed picking up out of the high chair. Prue walked in.

"You're home early," Piper noted.

"Yeah…I needed a break from work," she sighed.

"Tough day behind the camera?" Piper asked.

"Yeah…I kept seeing these little blue creatures running around. Needless to say they messed up my shoot," Prue grumbled.

"You mean you've got a gremlin infestation?" Piper snorted. She bounced Wyatt but he wouldn't quiet.

"It's ok, little guy. I won't let them get you," Prue said, smiling at her nephew.

"He just misses his Dad that's all," Piper answered.

"Poor little guy. Anyways, I'm going to check the Book…see what it says about the capture and containment of gremlins," Prue announced

"Hey did you leave the book on the floor last night?" Piper asked.

"No…why?" Prue answered.

"Oh...nothing…just watch out. Chris thinks someone may be after it," Piper muttered.

"Someone's after it every week," Prue sighed and disappeared from view. Piper turned her attention back to Wyatt.

"Shh, you're ok sweetie," she said. Just then the nanny appeared with a stroller.

"Fussy babies need fresh air," she said.

"Oh that's great idea. Just let me get my jacket," Piper said, placing Wyatt in the stroller.

"Nonsense. Let me take him for a walk. After all, it's what I'm here for," she said.

"Ok…just make sure to cover those ears," Piper muttered. The elf nanny looked appalled.

"I always keep the baby warm," she snapped.

"I meant yours," Piper said. The elf tucked her hair over her ears and proceeded outside.

Over at the Bay Mirror, Phoebe and Elise walked out of Elise's office. She was commending Phoebe on how amazing her column had been lately.

"It's just been so revealing," Elise praised.

"I guess I'm just really in touch with what people are feeling lately," Phoebe said.

"Well whatever it is, keep it up," Elise said, letting Phoebe head into her own office. Phoebe walked in to see Jason sitting in her chair.

"You're here," she said excitedly.

"I missed you, Phoebe," he said, getting up and kissing her. Phoebe felt an empathic vibe and backed up.

"No…not right now," she grumbled.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Uh nothing…how's the weather in Hong Kong?" she mumbled.

"The weather?" he parroted back to her.

"Yeah…I hear it's balmy…" she trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I guess so…you really want to discuss the weather?" he answered.

"No…I just…don't want to be alone with you…like…right now," she rambled.

"I mean…not here…you know…in a public place maybe," she continued.

"Phoebe it's ok. I get it, you're still a little shaken up by my last visit," he said, silencing her.

"Oh god…really embarrassing," she groaned.

"Look…Can we just…take thing slow for right now? I mean maybe go out for dinner and talk?" she asked.

"Sure. I'll pick you up at seven," he said.

"Great. See you at seven," she called as he walked out of her office.

"Can't wait to talk," she added and grabbed her coat. She simply walked out of the office and headed back to the Manor.

Back across the street from the Manor, Mabel spotted Phoebe's car pull up. She smiled and turned back to her sisters.

"It's time," she announced.

"Now we only get one shot at this…so pay attention. We say the spell and then the whole world will see us as the Halliwell sisters.

"But I don't want to go brunette," Margo whined.

"You'll still like you do now. But everyone will see you as Phoebe," Mabel explained. She held out the spell and the other two gathered around her.

"Blinking faces, blank and ho-hum. We are they and they are no one. Grant us the Power of Three and turn them into nobody," they chanted.

"Did it work?" Mitzy asked.

"Let's see if we can call their whitelighter," Mabel replied.

"Chris," she called out and he appeared. He looked all three girls up and down.

"Why'd you change? Piper you can't hunt demons in heels. Go change your shoes and we'll get started," he said. Margo sidled up to him and slid her arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, slow down there, angel. It's all good in the Charmed universe," she said.

"Phoebe…did you just call me angel?" he asked, looking disturbed.

"She did and I can clearly see why," Mitzy agreed.

"Ok…what are you doing over here anyways?" Chris asked, backing away from them.

"We were uh…solving a murder," Mabel said, pulling the athame out of the salesman's chest.

"Evil has been here…probably spying on us," she said, handing the blade to Chris.

"This could be connected with whoever is trying to steal the Book of Shadows," Chris muttered.

"Maybe. I think you should check it out. See the three symbols on the handle. We think it represents the astral plane," Mitzy said.

"The astral plane? I don't know…that's a realm of spirit and energy. They don't exactly manufacture athames," "Chris said, sounding doubtful.

"Well all the more reason to check it out. Why don't you orb there and investigate," Margo suggested.

"You want me to orb to the astral plane?" he asked and they all nodded.

"And don't come back until you find out where that came from," Mabel said.

"Can I get a kiss goodbye?" Margo asked. Chris looked at her.

"No,' he answered and orbs out.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she sighed.

"Girls…it worked," Mabel said.

Margo walked into the Bay Mirror and spotted Elise.

"Phoebe, I thought you left," Elise commented.

"Oh…well now I'm back…that's not against the rules is it?" Margo replied.

"What's that?" Elise asked, pointing to the paper in the girl's hand.

"Oh…it's a new article for tomorrow's paper. I didn't like what I wrote before," she answered, handing it over.

"Is that…crayon?" Elise questioned.

"Actually…it's eyeliner. I didn't have a pen," Margo answered with a small smile.

"Well it's a little late for new copy but I'll see what I can do," Elise said. Margo turned to leave when she ran into Jason.

"Phoebe, I thought you were getting ready for dinner," he said.

"Oh…uh…yeah…" she mumbled.

"I told you I'd swing by at seven," he reminded her.

"Of course," she said. He leaned in and kissed her cheeks. Just as he started to pull away, She grabbed him and pressed her body against his in an unexpected passionate kiss.

Back at the Manor, Prue and Phoebe were working on the vanquishing potion for the gremlins while Piper was on the phone.

"What do you mean I fired your band? I didn't fire them. I need them tonight," she shouted at the phone.

"I didn't fire that at rehearsal. I've been home all afternoon with my baby," she snapped.

"Ok…fine…I'll be there," she said and hung up the phone.

"I have to go to the club and sort this mess out. Tell the nanny to give Wyatt his dinner if I'm not back in time," she called to her sisters.

"Ok…bye," Prue called, turning back to the goo in the cauldron.

"Ugh…this is looking more like vanquishing goo. Can you check the book for the last ingredient?" she asked of Phoebe. Phoebe nodded and reached for the book. It glowed and shut itself.

"Ok that was weird," she muttered.

"Try it again," Prue said. Phoebe tried again and this time the book jumped to the floor.

"This is weird…it's like it's not recognizing us," Phoebe said.

"Chris said something weird might happen to the book…and we blew him o ff…as usual," Prue sighed.

"Chris!" she called but got no answer. Just then both of their cell phones rang. They looked at each other and answered.

"Hello?" Prue said.

"Hey Elise," Phoebe stated.

"What…no I didn't advocate multiple sex partners," Phoebe said, sounding horrified.

"I did not shut down the photoshoot. I'm at home and haven't back since," Prue snapped.

"No…I need this photoshoot to finish!" she spat.

"No I didn't say that alcohol is a cure for depression," Phoebe retorted.

"This is Phoebe," she said.

"Hello?" both sisters said and hung up.

"Ok this is beyond weird," Phoebe groaned.

"Trouble at work?" Prue asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied.

"Ok…look. I need to get back to the shoot before they close it down. I'll leave a note for the nanny," she said and stood up.

"I'm going to change in case I don't have time before my date tonight. Meet back here as soon as possible," Phoebe called as she sprinted upstairs.

"I'll try to put the book away," Prue muttered and bent down. The book went skidding under the couch. She shrugged and headed out the door.

At P3 Piper rushed down the stairs to see the band packing up. She was stopped by her bouncer, Ray.

"Ray…did the band leave yet?" she asked, catching her breath.

"I'm sorry ma'am but we're not open yet," Ray answered.

"Very funny. Look I'm missing dinner with my son because the band quit," she snapped.

"They didn't quit. The owner fired them," Ray retorted.

"You one of their groupies?" he asked.

"No! I'm your boss and you're going to be fired if you don't let me by," Piper snapped.

"Look lady, there's a bar open up the street if you really need a drink," he said.

Mitzy and Jack walked out of the back room, adjusting their clothes. Neither noticed the argument going on across the room.

"Wow Piper…when you said fringe benefits….you weren't kidding,' he said.

"I am all about job satisfaction," Mitzy said with a smile.

"Yeah…how about after hours?" he asked.

"I mean it Ray. Get the hell out of my way," Piper spat and froze him. She stormed by him.

"Uh…I have some work to do…but how about you stop by my place when your shift ends," Mitzy said and headed for the back room.

"Jack, would you please tell Ray who I am?" Piper asked, sounding exasperated.

"Uh…who are you?" he asked.

In the park, Prue walked up to see everyone starting to dismantle the lights and cameras. She walked over to one of the cops in charge of security.

"Hey, what the hell are they doing?" she demanded.

"The lead photographer nixed the project," he answered.

"No…no she didn't," Prue spat.

"Look I work here ok," she began.

"Let me see some ID then," he said. She handed him her ID. It had a picture of Mabel on it.

"Who did you steal this from?" the cop asked.

"No one," she answered but he pushed her away and turned back to the crew.

Angrily Prue stormed back to her car. She sped off back towards the Manor. Phoebe, after being thrown out of the office did the same. At the Manor, the Stillman sisters appeared.

"Ok…spread out. We need to find the book," Mabel explained.

"I'm on to you three," Chris said from the living room. They looked at him.

"What do we do?" Margo hissed. An athame appeared in Mabel's hands.

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked.

"This athame didn't come from the astral plane. You just sent me on a wild goose chase so you didn't have to hunt demons, didn't you," he accused.

"Busted," Margo sighed.

"Guilty," Mitzy added. Margo walked over to Chris and leaned on his chest.

"Yeah well you should be. There is an evil after Wyatt…" he began but looked down at Margo.

"Phoebe what are you doing?" he asked.

"Finding comfort in my Whitelighter," she replied.

"You're all over him," Mitzy shot.

"You're just jealous that I got to him first," Margo shot back.

"Look…Phoebe I know that Piper hooked up with her last Whitelighter but believe me…I'm really not interested," Chris said, pushing her away.

"Yeah…but…we weren't ditching you for hunting demons…we were taking to time to solve the murder across the street," Mabel said.

"Then why didn't you just tell me that? I would have given you time off for legitimate Charmed duties," he said, standing up. The athame in Mabel's hand disappeared.

"Well we are telling you now. We think the athame may belong to witches," Mabel said.

"Yeah…smart, pretty witches," Margo added.

"We just don't know who they are yet," Mitzy concluded.

"Ok…so why don't I check around this realm for them," Chris offered and robed out.

"Ok we really need to get going. You two check down here and I'll take upstairs. Oh and from now on, hands off the whitelighter. That's an order," Mabel shot and headed upstairs.

"I found it!" Mitzy called after a brief search. Margo and Mabel joined her and they started to flip through the book.

"Hurry, come on," Mabel said.

"Found it," Mitzy said, pointing to the 'to call a witches powers' spell. Just then the front door opened and the real Charmed Ones walked in.

"Who the hell are you?" Prue demanded.

"Haven't you heard? We're the Charmed Ones," Mabel replied.

"Nice dress," Margo said, looking at Phoebe.

"Nice book," Phoebe shot back. The Stillman sisters began to read the spell.

"Power of the witches rise," they began to chant and Piper tried to freeze them.

"Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here," they finished. Piper, Prue and Phoebe glowed white and small lights transferred in the Stillman sisters.

"What was that little freaky thing you did?" Mitzy asked and flicked her hand, causing a vase to blow up. Piper went flying backwards, her leg hitting the wall and started to bleed.

"Ow…I'm done," she called. Phoebe took a running start and managed to kick Margo. Margo ended up levitating and Phoebe skidded over the couch.

"Prue!" she called as Mabel sent a punch her way. Prue managed to duck before she got hit.

"Hey that's not fair," Mabel shot. Prue rushed to Piper's side and grabbed one of Piper's arms. Phoebe grabbed the other and they rushed from the Manor.

"Freeze them!" Mabel shouted.

"I don't known how," Mitzy whined.

Some time later they were upstairs, flipping through the book. Margo was scrying while Mabel and Mitzy continued to look through the book.

"Wow…there are potions and spells in here on all of our competition,' Mabel sighed, looking excited.

"Uh…how about a switch up here? My arm is killing me," Margo asked.

"It never takes this long to scry for a witch," she sighed

"They aren't witches anymore. We have their powers," Mabel reminded her.

"Not like I can control mine," Mitzy grumbled.

"Whoah, Mitzy ease off the annoyance pedal. It's giving me a headache," Margo whined.

"Oh shut up. Just keep flaunting that empath power and we'll see what happens," Mitzy snapped.

"Hey! We're in here," Mabel called. Margo put down the scrying crystal and Mitzy walked over to Mabel's left side.

"We made the Book?" Mitzy asked.

"Yeah…a paragraph…a really little paragraph," Margo stated.

"The Stillman Sisters. Mabel, Mitzy, Margo. Common witches known for their small time hustles and cons. Not worth vanquishing. If they become a nuisance, try a simple spell to bind their magic.," Mabel read.

"Common witches not worth vanquishing?" Mitzy gasped.

"Well look at what these common witches just did. We are standing in the home of the Charmed Ones with their powers and identities," Mabel said. Just then, the doorbell rang and Margo peered out the window.

"Phoebe's date," she said.

"Ok…go on the date. We'll stay here and keep looking through the book," Mabel instructed.

"What? Why does she get to go on a date?" Mitzy whined.

"We need to keep up pretenses. If Leo or Chris finds out we're imposters, they'll send the whole magical community after those girls and we'll be screwed," Mabel answered. With that Margo headed down the stairs.

At a dimly lit motel, the Halliwells walked into a room and Piper limped over to the bed. Prue sat down next to her as Phoebe set their purchases on the table.

"Ok let's see what we got here," Phoebe said and moved towards Piper.

"You alright?" she asked and Piper nodded.

"Yeah," Piper answered as Phoebe started to lift up her pant leg.

"Oh its bad…its really bad," Phoebe gasped.

"Just do what you can. We need to get back to the Manor for Wyatt," Piper said.

"They won't hurt Wyatt. They wouldn't risk exposure…especially since we're still alive," Prue commented.

"I wish we could get to Leo…or Chris," Phoebe grumbled.

"Yeah…but Chris can't hear our calls," Piper reminded them.

"IF only we could use a magical creature…like a fairy or a muse," Phoebe said.

"Well…we're not witches anymore…at least not with powers…but maybe…I might be able to get in touch with a couple of gremlins," Prue suggested.

"What if they won't help?" Phoebe asked.

"Then I threaten them with my vanquishing gel," Prue answered.

"Ok…you go find the gremlins, see if they can get to Chris," Piper ordered.

"I'll stay here," Piper said, knowing she wouldn't be going anywhere fast on her leg.

"I need to go hand out a personal invitation," Phoebe muttered and headed out the door, Prue hot on her heels.

At a swanky restaurant, Jason and Margo sat across from each other. He pulled a box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a diamond necklace. Phoebe is hidden behind a large plant.

"Hey, now! Who'd you knock off for this?" Margo asked.

**"**Ah, it's nothing. There's, uh, there's so much I want for us, Phoebe..." Jason began.

**"**How many carats are these?" she asked, running her fingers over the necklace.

An elderly man called to Phoebe but she ignored him. She needed to stop Margo from hitting on Jason. Her eyes widened in horror as the blond ducked below the table. She inched closer, trying to hear the conversation but missed most of it.

"You slut!" Phoebe shouted and rushed to the table.

"Excuse me?" Jason asked, looking at Phoebe.

"I'll take care of it sweetie," Margo said and stood up. Before she could say another world, Phoebe punched her in the nose, triggering a premonition. She saw the real Charmed Ones running into the Manor as the clock struck midnight.

"I'm sorry…I thought she was someone else," Phoebe apologized.

Back at the Manor, Mitzy pushed Jack into her room, toppling onto the bed. Neither noticed Leo sitting in the chair holding Wyatt.

"Piper what are you doing?" he hissed, making Mitzy look up.

"Leo what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I told you. Sometimes I come in and hold Wyatt when he's asleep," Leo said.

"What are you doing?" he replied, indicating Jack.

"Uh…isn't it obvious?" she retorted.

"In front of our son?" he spat.

"The lights are off," she muttered.

"Piper…I should go. I'll see you tomorrow," Jack muttered and ran from the room.

"See what you did!" she shot at Leo.

"What is wrong with you?" Leo asked.

"I don't know…I'm sorry. It must be PPD or something. You should take Wyatt up there with you," she replied.

"Careful. I just might," he said.

"Ok then…it's settled," she muttered and he disappeared with Wyatt still in his arms.

"Hey…forget the bartender…we have big problems," Mabel called. The three sisters met up in the living room and Margo filled them in on the premonition she'd received.

The clock finally struck twelve and the Halliwells appeared. Just as they started to move towards the living room, the door slammed shut. They turned and the next set of door slammed shut too.

"Oh not good," Prue said just as the Stillman sisters appeared.

"Not expecting us? I got my first premonition tonight," Margo said.

"I know, you genius. That's because I planted it," Phoebe shot.

"Oh…" she trailed off.

"Ok…so if Chris got our message, he should be here soon," Prue muttered. As if on cue, Chris appeared.

"Do you know a couple of gremlins?" he asked, looking at the wrong set of sisters.

"Thank god, Chris. You're here," Phoebe said.

"Uh…do I know you?" he asked.

"They are the witches who killed that guy across the street," Mabel said.

"No…no we're not…they're imposters. Chris this morning you said that something might happen to the book. Well this is it," Piper said.

"How do you know what I said to Piper?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter, Piper, blast them," Mabel snapped. Mitzy flicked her wrists and missed.

"She missed. Chris, when have you known Piper to ever miss," Phoebe remarked.

"So I'm allowed one bad day," she snapped back.

"Oh…she's getting angry. Our powers don't work so well when we're angry," Piper smirked. Mitzy tried again and got closer.

"Ok…run!" Prue yelled and dragged her sisters towards the attic. They hunted through the trunk of demon leftovers and got into position, waiting for the Stillmans to arrive. The door burst open and Piper released the trigger on the darklighter crossbow. Mitzy gasped and the arrow froze, as did Piper, Prue and Phoebe.

"So that's how it works," she commented. Just then Chris orbed in.

"Nice work," he said, looking to Margo. She smiled at him as he pulled her closer and kissed her.

"Hey! You can't score the boyfriend and the whitelighter," Mitzy spat.

"Oh quit whining. You scored the bartender," Margo shot back.

"Would you two shut up," Mabel snapped. She turned on Margo.

"I told you to keep off of him. That was an order. Did you sleep with him?" she snarled.

"No," Margo replied.

"Yes," Chris answered simultaneously.

"What!" both Mabel and Mitzy screamed. Chris glanced at the Book. The triquetra on the cover started to glow bright red.

"Ow…my head," Margo groaned looking at her sisters.

"She thinks we're idiots," she gasped, looking at Mabel.

"What? I didn't say that," Mabel rebutted.

"No but I felt it," Margo shot.

"Yeah…my little empath feels everything," Chris interjected.

"Come on babe. Let's get out of here," he added.

"You're not going anywhere," Mabel spat, pushing Margo.

"Don't push me," Margo shot back and shoved her sister. At that moment, the triquetra broke apart and the Charmed Ones unfroze. They looked around at each other.

"You should be able to handle these women now," Chris said. In turn each sister landed a punch to one of the Stillmans.

"How'd you know they weren't us?" Prue asked.

"Because in all my life, I've never seen you take the bait like that witch took it from you," Chris answered.

"In all your life, Chris you've been our whitelighter for two months," Phoebe commented.

"Let's just reverse the magic," he said, turning the book around.

"Power of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here," they recited and their powers rose out of the Stillmans and returned to the Halliwells.

The following day, Piper watched Leo playing with Wyatt. Piper can't help but smile as she watched them interact.

"So we bound their powers and handed them over to Morris. There was enough evidence across the street to book 'em for murder and if that doesn't stick, they're wanted in eight other states. Looks like you two had a good time," she told him.

"Yeah he loved the clouds," Leo answered.

"I bet," Piper sighed.

"Well he's had his bottle so he's probably ready for a nap," Leo said standing.

"You know…don't stray too far form him, ok? Feel free to drop in and see him whenever I'm not here," she said. He nodded. Just then Chris stuck his head into the room.

"Hey, Leo can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. The two men headed for the sun room.

"So there's a rumor floating around up there about finding out who sent you to Valhalla," Chris started.

"I know…I floated it," Leo said.

"You did?" Chris asked.

"I was hoping to draw out the guilty party," Leo answered.

"Interesting experiment. If you find out anything, let me know," Chris said.

"I already know who did it, Chris. And when I have enough evidence, he'll be the first to know," Leo promised and they both orbed out.

Out at a junkyard, Prue stared at the two gremlins bounced around from pile to pile.

"You can stay here you little blue runts. Stay away from people," she called. They gave loud cackles and dove into more wreckage. Prue just shook her head and headed back to her car. She had a photoshoot to get back to.

Phoebe walked into the main office of the Bay Mirror and spotted Jason sitting in his office. She poked her head in.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"About?"

"Us," she mumbled.

"Didn't we try that earlier?" he muttered.

"I know…I was hoping we could just forget abut that," Phoebe begged.

"Ok…look Phoebe…every time I see you I never know who I'm going to get…you either want to talk or you want to…" he trailed off.

"I know…but I don't' know how to act around you either…you fly in for a few days and we're supposed to cram everything we are feeling into those few days and it's really hard," Phoebe countered.

"I know…" he sighed.

"That is why I wanted to go to dinner…to see where we stand," Phoebe explained.

"How's your nose?" he asked. She furrowed her brow and touched her nose.

"My nose? Oh…yeah. It's pretty good. I heal fast. Anyways I should go…let you get back to work," she said and started to walk out the door.

"Phoebe," he called. She stopped and turned around.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"What are you doing right now?" Jason questioned.

"Trying to make a classy exit," she answered.

"How about we go to a classy lunch. And we…we just talk," he suggested, standing up and grabbing his jacket.

"Ok…" she agreed.

"Jason," she murmured as they headed out of the office.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"Thanks for the diamonds," she said and smiled.


	5. My Three Witches

My Three Witches

Phoebe leaned back in the chair on set and took a deep breath. She'd been guest hosting on _Chi Chat This & That_ for the past week. Across from her sat Nina Halter. Phoebe glanced over at the camera and got the cue to start.

"Today we're going to be talking about the five minute orgasm, a new book written by Miss Nina Halter. Hi, Nina, glad to have you on the show," Phoebe began.

"I'm glad to be here, Phoebe. I just love your show," Nina responded.

"Oh…you're going to get me in trouble. It's not my show. I'm just the guest host," Phoebe said with a little laugh, trying to wave it away.

"Well I just adore the topics you've discussed. They're all so provocative," Nina complimented.

"Well thanks. Speaking of provocative, we should probably talk about this little book of yours," Phoebe stated. Nina nodded.

"It's amazing isn't it," Nina beamed.

"Uh...well…to be honest with you, it seems kind of…short. I mean why would you want to rush it," Phoebe said, leaning in closer.

"Oh, no. I think you misunderstood the title. It's not about having an orgasm in five minutes. It's about having one for five minutes," Nina explained.

"Oh…uh…this is my copy right?" Phoebe asked, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Yep," Nina answered.

"So…why don't you tell us about well you know…how you go about experiencing this phenomenon," Phoebe said. With that Nina launched into the mechanics of the five minute orgasm. Back at the Manor Piper faced off against a demon. A large hole sat in the center of the sun room, sucking everything from the room into it. Piper tried to blow the demon up without losing grip from the doorframe but missed, sending a vase of flowers shattering.

"Chris!" she called out. Orbs fluttered into view and Chris looked around.

"Piper, come on. We need to get out of here," he said, trying to fight the vortex's pull.

"No. Wyatt's upstairs. Go get my sisters," Piper shouted. Chris opened his mouth to protest but said nothing. He knew she was stubborn. He disappeared in orbs again, rematerializing just beyond camera range on the show set. Phoebe was engrossed in talking with the guest on her book.

"Phoebe," he hissed, waving his arms wildly to try and get her attention. She didn't see him. He waved his arms a few more times before giving up. He closed his eyes and orbed away.

He reappeared in a park. He looked around until he finally spotted Prue. She had earphones in and was staring at a gravestone. He couldn't see whose name was on it. He noticed Prue had her camera with her. She wiped away a tear and turned away from the grave. She began snapping pictures of people walking by or standing at other tombstones.

"Prue," Chris called but her music kept her from hearing him. He let out a groan and orbed out yet again.

Back at the Manor Piper lost her grip on the doorframe. She looked around frantically for her sisters but they were nowhere in sight. The demon stood there, sneering at her. She glared back and let go, getting sucked closer to the vortex. In one last attempt she flicked her wrist at the demon, grazing his shoulder. He grunted in pain and shimmered out, the vortex disappearing. Piper collapsed to the floor and let out a breath. Half an hour later Chris had managed to get Prue and Phoebe back to the house. They were helping Piper clean up the mess while Chris flipped through the book.

"Wow…a vortex seriously did all of this?" Phoebe asked, dumping more debris into a garbage bag.

"Vortex. Whirlpool, I don't really know," Piper sighed.

"Uh…if it was a whirlpool wouldn't there be water?" Prue asked. Chris just rolled his eyes.

"The mechanics of what almost killed Piper aren't important. The point is, she was almost killed and on one was here to help," Chris snapped. Prue and Phoebe looked away guiltily.

"I'm sorry…I guess I was just…busy," Prue muttered.

"I was interviewing a really interesting woman," Phoebe murmured.

"Oh yeah! The orgasm lady. Good show…well until the TV got sucked into oblivion," Piper remarked.

"Ok…can we focus here? Piper…doesn't it bother you at all that you had to vanquish that demon alone?" Chris asked.

"Well sure…but we are all adults. We have lives. Which reminds me, we need to get this place cleaned up before my guests arrive," Piper answered.

"Who is coming?" Phoebe inquired.

"Oh…Mary and a bunch of other people. She has this new clothing line she designed that she wants to show us," Piper answered.

"I wish I could come…" Phoebe gushed.

"But I have to go meet Jason," she sighed.

"Hold it! There is a demon to hunt. If I can find him in here," Chris called.

"Regardless of whether he's in the Book, I'm going to have people over…if it kills me," Piper shot, smacking her hand on the table.

"Honey, you should get Leo to heal that for you," Phoebe said.

"No I'm fine. I don't need magic to heal a cut. Besides it wasn't because of magic. I cut myself in the kitchen," Piper answered.

"I think Jason thinks he's losing me," Phoebe sighed, shoving more bits and pieces of the sun room into the garbage.

"Honey, I'm sure he doesn't think that," Prue said.

"You're not the one trying to figure out who is feeling what?" Phoebe grumbled.

"Hello! Vortexes, alternate realities. Any of this making any impression on you?" Chris asked.

"I say just let him wine and dine you, Pheebs. It never hurt anyone," Piper commented.

"Piper…you were almost sucked into a pocket realm, based on dreams and desires," Chris tried but still got not response.

"Here, let me fix this up before I go," Phoebe said. She stood and looked around the room.

"Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the seen to be unseen," she chanted. The room glowed and was back to normal.

"Thanks sis," Piper said with a smile.

"Well I need to get going too. I have another shoot in twenty minutes," Prue called and headed for the door.

"Wait! No you can't leave," Chris shouted.

"We'll deal with it later," Phoebe called.

"Prue…come on…you love demon hunting," Chris shot.

"Not right now. See you later," Prue replied. Chris turned on Piper.

"Hey…you're our new favorite whitelighter and everything, Chris. But you have to understand…we need to have lives," Piper sighed.

"And I have cookies in the oven," she said and headed for the kitchen.

"Yeah well if you keep putting off your Wiccan duties, you're not going to have any lives at all," he called after her. He turned to see Wyatt.

"This is all your fault I have to do this," he grumbled and orbed out of the Manor. Wyatt just stared at the spot where Chris had been standing, sticking a finger in his mouth.

Chris reappeared in a dank cave. The vortex demon was sitting down, tabbing rags on his wound. He looked up and saw Chris standing there.

"You!" he shouted and a vortex opened, starting to suck Chris in. He managed to orb out just in time.

"You don't have to freak out. I'm not here to vanquish you," Chris said, holding his hands up.

"How did you find me? No one has ever found my lair before," the demon said, inching away.

"I didn't have to find you, Gith. I know you. See, I'm from the future and I need your help with the Charmed Ones," Chris explained.

Phoebe sat across from Jason at an open air restaurant. He was rambling on about how he had to fly back and see her because he missed her so much.

"Jason…I…thank you for the private concerts and dinners and roses…" she interrupted him. He looked at her.

"I feel a 'but' coming," he murmured.

"No. No buts…it's just…I like you…a lot and you don't have to try so hard," Phoebe said, taking his hand in hers.

"I know…but did it ever ocurr to you that maybe I like doing these things for you?" he asked. She blushed and shook her head.

"No…not really," she answered. Just then a young woman with a notebook walked up to their table.

"Excuse me…Phoebe….oh wow...uh…would you mind?" she asked, holding out the notebook.

"Sure," Phoebe answered. She took the notebook and signed it.

"I have watched you on TV all week. You're so amazing," she gushed.

"Thanks," Phoebe said with a smile.

"You are great. You could be huge," Jason added. Phoebe handed the woman her notebook back and turned back to Jason.

"You mean it?" she asked.

"I don't like to brag but, you're dating a minor media mogul. I've got stations all around the world," he whispered.

"Did you just offer me the world, Jason Dean?" she asked.

"Well…except for Kazakhstan. I don't have stations there," he said with a laugh.

"That's really sweet of you," Phoebe murmured.

Back at the Manor, Piper was in the kitchen. She pulled another batch of cookies out of the oven and set them to cool. Just then Leo appeared.

"Oh look, Daddy's here," Piper commented turning around.

"Piper, we need to talk," Leo said.

"No. You need to orb. He's been fed. There's fresh diapers and a bottle in the bag," Piper said, shoving the bag at him.

"No Piper…I can't take Wyatt today," Leo blurted.

"What? What are you talking about? You asked to take him…you know…father son bonding," Piper exclaimed.

"I know…but that's before I found out about this," he said, holding up a Valkyrie pendant.

"Do you know how Chris got it?" Leo asked. Piper shrugged.

"He killed for it," he spat. Just then Wyatt sneezed.

"Was that a sneeze? Daddy will heal you right up and then I'll heal Mommy's hand," he said, ruffling his son's hair.

"No…you won't heal him. It's just a cold. Babies get colds. Its how they build up their immunities," Piper shot.

"Not when his father is a miracle worker," Leo muttered.

"Well if I'm going to try to have some kind of normal life, he's going to stay sick. If it was something really serious I'd call you," she said.

"Please, just go. I have friends coming in ten minutes," Piper begged.

"Fine…if you see Chris. Tell him I need to talk to him," Leo muttered and orbed out.

Back in the Underworld, Gith was still pressing a cloth to his wound Chris was leaning on a boulder.

"You must think I'm scum of the earth…really low on the demonic totem pole," Gith sneered.

"No…" Chris replied.

"Some minor horned demon without any real power," he continued.

"I completely respect your power,," Chris answered.

"Then what do you want?" he snapped.

"I came back because I need the power of the Charmed Ones. And lets just say…right now they are drifting apart," Chris explained.

"Most Whitelighters don't aim to kill their charges," Gith commented.

"I'm not like most Whitelighters. Like I said, I need their power," Chris muttered.

"For what?" the demon probed.

"That's not your concern. All you need to know is that they're drifting…dangerously," Chris shot.

"Drifting apart you said?" Gith asked and Chris nodded.

"Yeah…putting their desires before their destiny and it's going to get them killed if they aren't careful," Chris answered.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Gith spat.

"You feed of desire. So feed of theirs. I mean they've got to pack one hell of a punch," she said.

"You know their desires?" Gith asked, his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"I am their Whitelighter aren't I? Just…no messy vortexes ok. Just…bring them into your own world," Chris said, handing him a piece of parchment.

"Not a problem," Gith sneered.

"You know they'll die right," he added, looking at Chris.

"I'm counting on it. Why else would I offer to help you," Chris muttered. He grabbed a piece of parchment from the lair and shoved it in his pocket.

"Oh and for both our sakes, don't screw this up," Chris added and orbed out. Gith stared down at the list. First on the list was Piper.

"A normal life without magic. Ask and you shall receive," he cackled. He waved his hand over the basin next to him. Piper appeared in it with Wyatt. He sneezed.

"Oh was that a sneeze buddy?" she asked. Just then the room flashed brightly. Piper seemed not to notice.

"Ok buddy…I'm going to put you down for two seconds," Piper said as the doorbell rang. She placed in him the playpen. She went and opened the door. Several women stood on the front steps.

"Hi," they all greeted in turn, filing into the house.

"Wow…I didn't know so many people would be coming," Piper muttered as Mary appeared.

"Oh…maybe I should have called," Mary apologized.

"No it's fine. I've been waiting so long to do this," Piper said, brushing it off.

"Yeah…they all wanted to see my new line of lingerie," Mary explained.

"Oh…just as long as I don't have to try any on," Piper aid with a laugh.

"No…you'd look silly if you did. You don't have what it takes to fill the pouch," Mary said as several men walked in.

"Oh…right," Piper said, blushing.

"These are my models," Mary added.

"Where can we change?" one of them asked.

"My bedroom's free," Piper offered immediately.

"Great…this way," Mary said, leading the guys up the stairs.

Back in his lair, Gith looked down at the list again. Next was Prue. He laughed but turned back to the basin. Prue appeared back at the cemetery. She was taking more pictures of the passersby.

"A life with her true love who accepts her magic," he scoffed. The world around Prue glowed as well. Prue continued to take pictures, unaware of the change that had just taken place.

"Hey," a familiar voice called. Prue turned around and her jaw dropped.

"Andy?" she asked, looking around wildly.

"Who were you expecting?" he asked, slipping his hand around her free one.

"Uh…I don't know," Prue replied. She glanced down at the tombstone and saw it wasn't a name she recognized.

"How's the shoot going?" he asked.

"Fine. I'm about done," Prue answered.

"You want to grab some dinner?" Andy offered. Prue smiled.

"Sure," she said and leaned against his shoulder.

"I've missed you," she breathed as they strolled towards her car.

"I've just been at work," he laughed. She just nodded and climbed in the driver side.

"So what do you feel like?" he asked.

"Whatever you want," she replied. They ended up at a small café and took a seat. They were about to order when a car slowed down on the street. The window opened and a fireball came flying out of it. Prue caught it out of the corner of her eye and reached out her hand. She telekinetically deflected it, sending it into a nearby trash can. She slowly turned around. No one seemed to have seen it. Then she remembered Andy was sitting across from here.

"Hey, Prue. Relax. You just saved all of these innocents," Andy said, taking her hand in his.

"Did you just say it was ok?" Prue asked and he nodded.

"Of course I did. It's who you are," he said.

Gith looked at the last piece of the parchment and sneered. He brought up an image of Phoebe getting her make up done. Jason walked into view and their world flashed as well.

"Ms Halliwell, you're on in thirty," the assistant director called.

"Just enjoy it out there. You might be surprised," Jason, kissing her gently on the cheek. Phoebe nodded and stood up.

"You're on in four, three, two…" the assistant director called. Phoebe pushed open the doors and walked onto the set. The audience cheered and Phoebe could feel their excitement radiating towards her.

"Hi everyone welcome to the show…" she said, looking behind her at the giant 'Ask Phoebe' sign.

"Welcome to my show," she murmured, looking star struck. The show passed by and in no time, Phoebe was walking backstage with Jason and a bodyguard.

"That was amazing," Phoebe gushed.

"You were amazing," Jason commented, kissing her.

"How'd you pull that off so fast?" Phoebe probed as they neared a large crowd.

"I bought off a bunch of people," Jason said with a laugh.

"Did you buy them too?" she asked, looking at the crowd.

"No…those belong to you. They're your fans. They've been coming here after every show to try and see you," Jason answered.

"Blake, stick close," Jason informed the bodyguard.

"Yes sir," Blake answered.

"I thought he was a grip," Phoebe hissed in Jason's ear. Just then they were surrounded by people. Phoebe signed a bunch of autographs and thanked everyone for coming as they climbed into a limo.

"Jason…thank you for everything you're doing right now. But some of it just doesn't make sense. Those people were there a few hours ago…and how did you get that elaborate stage?" she rambled.

"Hey, you promised," Jason said.

"Right…enjoy the ride," she sighed.

"Home, Blake. I have a big surprise for you," Jason said.

"Bigger than this one?" Phoebe asked, shaking her head.

In the attic, Chris was staring at the book, mixing potion ingredients when Leo orbed in, looking none too happy.

"We need to talk," he said sternly.

"Sorry, not now," Chris answered, continued to focus on the potion.

"Yes, now," Leo shot.

"This look familiar?" he asked, holding up the pendant.

"I don't have time for this," Chris muttered.

"That's funny. You had time to kill a Valkyrie. Whitelighter's don't kill…or didn't you read the manual," Leo accused.

"But it's ok for an Elder? You have Valkyrie blood on your hands too," Chris reminded him.

"I was protecting the sisters. You did it to gain her magic," Leo retorted.

"So that makes you the noble one, right?" Chris snapped.

"Face it, Chris. I've got you this time. I have enough evidence to strip you of your whitelighter status and have your soul sent back to earth and recycled," Leo threatened.

"Do what you have to do," Chris muttered.

"I've set up a hearing with the Elders tonight. I expect this to be your last day as a whitelighter," Leo said.

"It's possible," Chris mumbled.

"Why are you making a vanquishing potion?" Leo probed.

"To help the sisters," Chris answered.

"Why aren't they making it themselves?" the Elder questioned. Chris looked up at Leo.

"Because they're busy," he answered.

"I can't sense them," Leo stated.

"Look, I'm on it," Chris muttered, bottling the potion.

"If I can't sense them, that means they aren't in this world," Leo spat.

"I said I'm on it," Chris shot.

"Where do you think you're going?" Leo demanded when Chris headed for the door.

"To bring them back. Now back off," Chris answered sharply.

"Until I figure out what's going on, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Leo hissed.

"Fine. You don't trust me. I get it. But get this…If I don't show up where I'm supposed alone, they'll die. It's your call," Chris muttered and orbed out.

In Piper's world, the fashion show has begun. Piper blushed profusely as they walked around in very tight underwear.

"Wow…uh…nice attention to detail," she muttered.

"Thanks. I try to keep it simple," Mary said.

"I just think it's hot," one of the other women gasped.

"Heh…so you do this often?" Piper asked.

"You mean getting together to watch half naked men under a socially acceptable pretense?" Mary asked and Piper nodded.

"Every chance we get," the woman next to Piper answered. Just then Wyatt's cries echoed through the baby monitor and Piper stood up.

"Looks like all the noise woke Wyatt up. I'll be right back," she said and headed for the nursery. She bent down and picked Wyatt up, trying to quiet his cries.

"You're ok. Shh," she said, feeling his forehead.

"Actually, you're burning up a little," she murmured and reached for the thermometer.

"Here, look, look. Let me see," she said, gently placing the device in his ear. It beeped and she pulled it out.

"One hundred and two. That's not good," she commented.

"Leo! Leo your son needs you," she called but got no answer.

Back in Phoebe's world, she and Jason were just climbing out of the limo in front of a large penthouse apartment building.

"Jason, this all too much. Where did all these people come from?" Phoebe asked.

"It's great isn't it," Jason said, wrapping an arm around her.

"No…this doesn't feel real. I know it won't make sense but I don't think any of this real…it must be some kind of alternate world created by desires," she rambled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason retorted.

"Gun!" Blake shouted, sending the crowd into hysteria. Phoebe and Jason turned around just in time to see a man leveling a gun at Phoebe. He pulled the trigger and Phoebe watched as the bullet raced towards them. Jason pushed her out of the way, taking the shot.

In the real world, Gith let out a growl. He couldn't believe what happened. Just then, Chris orbed in.

"Something wrong/" Chris asked.

"The boyfriend took the bullet for her. It was meant for the witch," Gith spat.

"Pretty good aren't they," Chris commented.

"No matter. Their desires will kill them eventually. They always do," Gith sighed.

"Yeah…about that," Chris said, starting to throw the potion vile. Gith was one step ahead of him. He'd summoned a darklighter bow and shot an arrow straight into Chris' stomach. Chris sunk to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Darklighter arrow. The poison shouldn't take too long," he murmured.

"See…I could see your desire right from the beginning," Gith sneered, stepping on the potion vile.

"You never wanted to kill your charges, just teach them a lesson," he continued.

"Well if you're lucky, you'll be alive long enough to see them learn a lesson after all," Gith cackled, leaning over the basin.

Prue and Andy had left the restaurant and were pulling up to Andy's apartment. He looked over at her when she didn't get out.

"Aren't you coming inside?" he asked.

"Uh…I…Andy I'm sorry. I can't….this just…it can't be real," Prue murmured.

"Prue, come on. You've had a long day," Andy said, walking around the car and opening her door.

"No. You aren't real. You died five years ago," Prue protested.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, starting to get mad.

"Shut the door," she demanded. When he didn't, she squinted at him and sent him flying.

"We had an agreement Prue. You can't use your power on me!" he called as she sped away.

"This isn't real," she mumbled to herself over and over again. When she finally stopped driving, she ended up at the cemetery.

Back in Phoebe's world, she sat with Jason, trying to stay calm. She had a growing suspicion that it wasn't real.

"Stay with me," she breathed, lifting Jason's chin with her hand.

"Leo!" she shouted.

"Who are you calling for?" Jason asked.

"My brother-in-law…he's a healer," she explained.

"No offense, Phoebe but I don't think he can hear you," he coughed.

"I'm so sorry, Jason. I know that you wanted all of this for me. I can feel how much you really want it for me," Phoebe breathed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm thirsty," he rasped.

"I'll see if I can find something," Phoebe murmured and stood up.

From his cave, Gith let out a growl and turned to look at Chris.

"An empath! You didn't tell me the youngest sister is an empath!" He roared.

"Sorry," Chris coughed.

"She was feeling his desires when I created her world. No matter, my worlds always kill their victims because desires are empty. His will fall too," Gith said with a smirk. From his position on the ground, Chris had just enough of a view to telekinetically send Phoebe into Prue's world.

"No!" Gith howled and kicked Chris in the side.

"Ah!" Chris cried.

In Piper's world, she is trying to calm Wyatt down. She stood behind the pedestal, flipping through the Book of Shadows. Every page is blank.

"What is this?" she gasped.

"Oh there you are," Mary said, walking in.

"Leo!" Piper shouted.

"Honey, Leo's not here. You split up, remember," Mary reminded her.

"Wyatt has a temperature of one hundred and two and it's getting worse," Piper said, trying not to panic.

"One hundred and two. That boy needs a doctor. Come on, I'll drive you," Mary offered but Piper shook her head.

"No. I've got it," she said and headed downstairs.

Phoebe looked around, confused. She didn't see anyone at first until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to see Andy.

"Wh-what the hell?" she yelped.

"Where's Prue?" he asked.

"I...I don't know," Phoebe stammered. Just then he went flying backwards and landed against a car. Prue appeared and grabbed Phoebe's hand.

"Welcome to my world," Prue muttered as they weaved through gravestones.

"Hold on…you have a world too?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah…Andy's alive…and he's all about me using my magic…except on him," Prue answered, ducking behind a tree.

"Ok…that's….great and everything but I have to find Jason. He was shot and I just left him there," Phoebe said.

"How did you get out?" Prue asked, catching her breath.

"No idea. It just happened. One minute I was with Jason and the next, I'm face to face with your dead ex boyfriend," Phoebe rambled.

"Well if we're going to get out of here…we're going to need to find Piper," Prue stated.

"Any idea how that might work?" Phoebe asked as footsteps approached them. Prue peered around the tree to see Andy, gun in hand.

"No but if we don't want to join these people, we better think of something fast," Prue rasped.

"Wait…these worlds are based on our desires right?" Phoebe whispered. Prue nodded.

'Our desire is to find Piper. So maybe if we concentrate on that we can find her," the younger of the two suggested.

"Ok…well try and sense her," Prue hissed as Andy drew closer. Phoebe closed her eyes. She was hit with a vibe.

"She's really scared and she needs us," Phoebe murmured.

In Piper's world she was racing as quickly as she could to the hospital, Wyatt wailing loudly in the back seat.

"Honey, you're ok. We're almost there," she said. She was so busy trying to calm him down she didn't see thee truck come speeding straight for them. The two cars collided and Piper's SUV went spinning in circles.

Gith glared down at Chris as Phoebe and Prue tried to focus on Piper. This wasn't going at all according to plan.

"You've ruined everything! Now they'll find the middle sister and come for me," Gith snarled.

"Unless…I get to her first," he snickered. An athame appeared in his hand and with a swirl he appeared in Piper's world. She walked around the front of the car, holding Wyatt.

"You're not demon enough to kill me," Piper shot.

"Ah the greatest desire of them all…the desire to survive," Gith laughed. Just then Prue and Phoebe appeared. They looked at Gith and stood up, moving towards Piper. Prue waved her hand at the athame but nothing happened.

"Yeah…no magic here. Sorry," Piper said. He advanced on them but Phoebe stopped him with a roundhouse kick.

"How's that shoulder feel?" she asked, landing another kick to his injured shoulder. He fell to the ground in agony.

"You can't escape. You're in my world!" he roared. Just then Piper noticed gas leaking over the tire of her car.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," she said and they began to run away from the wreck. Gith managed to get to his feet when he saw the gasoline under his feet. In moments he was consumed by fire. As he exploded, the world disappeared and the girls were deposited in Gith's layer.

"Where are we?" Prue asked.

"Who cares? Where's Jason?" Phoebe muttered.

"Jason?" Piper asked, looking confused.

"Yeah…he was in my world. He should have come out when we vanquished the demon, right?" she answered.

"Are you sure it was really Jason?" Prue questioned.

"I don't know What do you mean?"

"Well…in my world…Andy was there and we all know that he wasn't real. So maybe your Jason was just a part of the world too," Prue explained.

"You saw Andy?" Piper asked.

"Yeah…but it wasn't really him," Prue replied. Just then Wyatt coughed and let out a small cry.

"Wyatt needs help," Piper sighed, rocking him gently. Prue spotted Chris lying on the ground.

"Oh god…so does he," she said, bending down at his side.

"He's still breathing. Leo! Get down here!" she shouted. Blue and white orbs appeared, depositing Leo.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Heal now, ask later," Piper ordered. Leo held his hands over Wyatt and he glowed. His crying stopped. Next he bent over Chris's body and healed the wound from the darklighter arrow.

Several hours later, Piper and Leo are tucking Wyatt into bed in his crib. She pulled a blanket up to his chin while Leo ruffled his hair.

"There you go buddy," Piper whispered.

"His fever's down. He should sleep well tonight," Leo sighed.

"Yeah…he had a long day," Piper agreed as they walked out of the nursery and into Piper's bedroom.

"I'm glad you got out of that other world ok," Leo said.

"Yeah. You have Chris to thank for that," Piper said.

"Chris…yeah well he should have taken me with him to that cave or at least told me where my family was," Leo replied.

"Give him a break. He earned it today," Piper said.

"Goodnight, Piper," he said.

"Hey uh…before you go. Could you do something for me?" she asked, unbandaging her hand.

"You want me to heal your hand?" he asked and she nodded.

"I thought you wanted a normal day," he commented.

"Yeah…I did. But that's not going to be today," she answered. He smiled and held his hand over hers. His hand glowed and the cut disappeared. Just then there was a knock on the doorframe and Chris walked in.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Piper asked.

"Better, thanks," he sand and moved further into the room.

"So…it's almost time for my hearing with the Elders. I thought I'd give you the satisfaction of bring me in personally," Chris said, arms folded over his chest.

"Yeah…well maybe I'll just give you this instead," Leo said, handing over the Valkyrie pendant.

"Uh…what am I supposed to do with this?" Chris asked. Leo shrugged.

"I don't understand," he added.

"Neither do I. Just take it before I change my mind," Leo said and orbed out.

"You want it?" Chris asked, offering the pendant to Piper.

"Oh no…last time you gave me one of those I turned into Xena," Piper retorted. Chris shrugged and pocketed it.

"We should have listened to you earlier about the demon," she said.

"Yeah…but as long as you learned something at the end of the day…that's all that's important…right?" he stated.

"Right," Piper agreed.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go check on Prue," she said and headed for the doorway. Chris took the opportunity to peek in on Wyatt. He just shook his head before orbing out.

Downstairs, Piper found Prue sitting in the living room, a cup of coffee in her hand. Piper sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Without saying a word, Prue leaned her head on her sister's shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" Piper asked.

"I don't know. It was kind of nice to see him again," Prue murmured.

"It wasn't real," Piper reminded her.

"I know it wasn't. I guess that's why it was my world," Prue sighed.


	6. Sword and the City

Sword and the City

Prue wandered into the kitchen, newspaper in hand. She was so busy flipping pages that she tripped over a pair of legs and landed face first on the floor.

"Ow," she groaned, struggling to her feet. Piper shimmied out from under the sink and stood up.

"Sorry…you ok?" she asked, watching Prue straighten her jacket.

"Yeah…what were you doing under there?" she asked, reaching for the coffee pot.

"Oh…trying to fix the garbage disposal," Piper sighed, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Why…what's wrong with it?" Prue asked. Piper flipped the switch and the device made a loud grinding noise.

"Disposal not disposing, washer not washing…cable not cabling and that's just the first floor," Piper answered with a huff.

"Oh…the sink upstairs is clogged too," Prue noted after a sip of coffee.

"That's next on my list," Piper sighed.

"Sounds like a blast," Prue snorted.

"Oh yeah…you know that's my life…all about fun," Piper grumbled.

"Here…how about…I take care of the disposal and you go look at the sink," Prue offered, snatching the wrench from her hand.

"No that's ok…I got it," Piper said.

"No…go," Prue ordered, shooing her sister away.

"But you'll be late for work," Piper stated. Her attempt at getting Prue to back down didn't work.

"I'm the boss…I can be late," Prue retorted. With a groan, Piper headed upstairs to inspect the sink.

"Leo," Prue hissed. Orbs swirled into the kitchen and formed into Leo.

"Prue…what is it? I can't just abandon the other Elders," Leo commented.

"Morning to you too," Prue said with a smile.

"Look…we have a little problem…the disposal...not working. Can you fix it?" Prue asked.

"Why can't you call a plumber to fix it?" Leo responded.

"Because you're free and it's faster?" Prue said with a shrug.

"Hey…Prue which pair of…" Phoebe began, walking into view.

"He's not supposed to be here," she hissed.

"Oh relax. He's just fixing the garbage disposal," Prue muttered.

"Fine," Leo huffed. He turned around and held his hands over the pool of mucky water in the sink. His hands glowed and the water swirled down the drain. Prue flipped the switch and the disposal sounded normal again.

"Thanks," she said.

"Prue…I'm going to need that wrench," Piper called from the hallway. Prue and Phoebe's eyes widened and they shoved Leo out of view.

"Uh…right…here you go," Prue said, handing her sister the wrench.

"Wow…you fixed it," Piper mused.

"Yeah…well you know…no big deal," Prue said, fixing Phoebe a glare.

"And not a spot on you. What'd you use…magic?" Piper blurted.

"Yeah…a little spell…" Prue lied. Piper just shook her head.

"Why are you so dressed up…it's seven in the morning," Piper commented to Phoebe.

"Jason and I have a date," she answered.

"Is Chris going to orb you?" she asked.

"No…see it's seven here but it's evening in Hong Kong. We're going to video conference…just open up our laptops and poof there we are in color," she explained.

"In each other's laps." Prue snickered.

"Anyways, I can't figure out which earrings to wear," Phoebe continued, holding up two different pair.

"Look…I don't have time for accessorizing. I have all this stuff to do today," Piper said and headed back upstairs.

"I have to get to work," Prue said and headed for the front door.

"What good are sisters if they can't help you pick out jewelry," Phoebe shouted.

In the upstairs bathroom, Piper stared at the sink. Maybe a little magic wouldn't hurt. She was about to open her mouth when the water bubbled up and formed a woman's face.

"Please help me," she gurgled.

"Excuse me?" Piper rasped.

"I need your help…The pond in the park," she bubbled before disappearing.

"Uh…Prue…Phoebe get up here!" she shouted. Moments later she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and Prue and Phoebe rushed in.

"What is it?" Prue asked, out of breath.

"There was a head in the sink asking for our help," Piper answered.

"A head…like a human head?" Phoebe asked.

"Well…it came up from the water," Piper muttered.

"Ok…well did it say what it wanted?" Prue asked.

"Uh…something about the pond in the park," Piper answered.

"Ok…well let's make it fast…I'm missing my date with Jason," Phoebe whined. They headed up to the attic to grab some transport potions when Prue remembered Leo was still downstairs.

"Be right back," she said and rushed down the stairs.

"You can go now," she said, finding Leo watching Wyatt in his playpen.

"Who's going to watch Wyatt?" he asked.

"Ok…we'll be back really soon," Prue said and ran up the stairs.

"Let's do this," she called, reappearing in the attic. Together they took the vials and concentrated. They appeared in the park next to a large pond.

"You're sure this is the place?" Phoebe asked.

"Well...park…pond. But where's the lady?" Prue asked. Just then the center of the pond began to bubble and a sword rose from the depths. It was held in the hand of a young woman.

"Hurry…take it. It does not belong to them," she called, trying to hand the sword off to the sisters.

"Belong to whom?" Phoebe asked just as two axe-wielding demons appeared, flanking a masked man with a sword.

"I'd guess those guys," Prue answered. She waved her hand and one of the axes came flying towards her. She grabbed it and rushed the demon she'd stolen it from. She caught him square in the gut before he burst into flames. Piper was inching towards the sword when it disappeared, flying high above their heads. She looked up, trying to find it; oblivious to Phoebe's demon vanquish.

"I'm liking these odds," she said as she and Prue advanced on the taller demon. The sword finally came back into view where it lodged itself in a large boulder. Immediately the masked demon shimmered out.

"Wuss," Prue spat and dropped the axe. Phoebe followed suit and they joined Piper.

"The sword…" the woman gasped before turning into water.

"Whoa…what just happened?" Phoebe asked.

"She evaporated," Prue stated.

"She was saying something about the sword. Where did it go?" Phoebe asked. Piper pointed and their eyes all landed on it glinting in the sun.

"Oh…no," Piper groaned.

"It's in the stone," Prue laughed.

"The sword and the stone?" Phoebe murmured.

"You've got to be kidding me," Piper sighed, rolling her eyes.

"So…what do we do with it now?" Phoebe asked.

"Well…the Lady in the Lake seemed to want us to take it…so I guess we bring it back to the Manor," Prue answered.

"Ok…how. I'm pretty sure you can't lift that thing long enough to get back to the Manor," Phoebe commented.

"We could always ask for some help," Prue muttered.

"Le-" Prue began but Piper stopped her.

"Don't. Just leave him out of this. Chris," Piper called. Orbs appeared and Chris looked around.

"What's going on…where are…is that what I think it is?" Chris rambled, finally noticing the sword.

"Yeah," Piper answered.

"Can you orb it back to the Manor for us?" Prue asked.

"Sure," he muttered. He walked over to the stone and bent down. Blue and white lights surrounded him and the stone before disappearing. The girls joined hands and tossed another set of vials at the ground, disappearing too.

They all reappeared in the sun room. Chris stepped away from the stone and eyed it with curiosity.

"Did that just…glow?" he asked.

"What? No…it's the sun room…there's lots of light…refraction…" Piper answered.

"Ok…am I the only one who gets the reality of this?" Prue asked. Piper shook her head.

"Oh come on Piper…sword, stone, lady…lake…" Prue rambled.

"Technically it was a pond," Piper muttered. Prue rolled her eyes.

"It's pretty obvious this is Excalibur…the maker of kings," she said.

"And apparently attracters of axe-wielding demons," Piper grumbled. All of the commotion had drawn Leo into the sun room.

"Hi," Piper said, looking surprised to see him.

"Hi…I was…watching Wyatt. Prue asked me too," he explained just as Phoebe walked in.

"Well…no mention of…oh Leo…you're still here…" she began.

"Someone had to watch Wyatt," he sighed.

"Of course. Well…yeah…no mention of Excalibur in the Book," she said.

"Well wasn't King Arthur long before Melinda Warren was around?" Prue asked. Phoebe nodded and Piper shrugged.

"I can't believe you actually think this is real," Piper scoffed.

"Please, Piper…you believed in King Arthur and Camelot when you were little," Prue shot.

"Yeah…when I was seven. Then I grew up," Piper shot back.

"Yeah…to be a witch," Phoebe muttered into the Book of Shadows.

"Moving on…our reality is those freaky demons. Any word about them in there?" Piper stated.

"Yeah…right here. We've run across them before; Executioner demons. Low level bad asses for hire," Phoebe explained, showing the entry in the book to her sisters.

"What about who hired them?" Prue inquired.

"This upper level bad ass," she answered, flipping a few pages.

"A power mad paladin of destruction," Piper read. It sounded rather foolish when she said it aloud. She took the book from Phoebe's arms and looked at the page.

"Well it look's like you can make a vanquishing potion," she said, looking up at Phoebe.

"Me? Why me?" Phoebe asked.

"Because I have a million other things to do around here in addition to raising a small child," she shot back.

"I know…you're my hero really but I have to go to work. I'm behind on my column and I still don't h ae an assistant," Phoebe said, rushing for the door.

"Prue! Potion?" Piper asked but Prue shook her head.

"Can't. I have a really big shoot. If I blow it off…we lose like three other shoots," Prue called.

"Fine…so you want me to add baby-sit the sword and mix vanquishing potion to my never ending list of things to do," she grumbled as both of her sisters walked out of the room.

"I should be getting back to the Elders," Leo muttered and disappeared in orbs. Piper turned to see Chris sitting in one of the chairs in the sun room.

"Aren't you leaving too?" she asked.

"Someone has to make sure evil doesn't come after the sword. Besides, I can help with the potion if you want," he answered, shaking his head in the negative.

"Oh…that'd be great. Thanks," she said.

Meanwhile in the underworld, the Dark Knight was pissed off. "You promised me murderers," he growled, pushing a demon against the wall, "All you delivered was cannon fodder for witches,"

"They weren't normal witches," the demon stammered.

"The sword is with the Charmed Ones…it means we just need a better class of executioners…" he continued. The Dark Knight pulled the sword away from the demon's throat, and sighed.

"And how much more will this cost me?"

"The Charmed Ones are formidable,"

"How much?" The Dark Knight asked angrily.

"To provide you with more executioners, and the training needed to drown the Charmed Ones in their own blood..." the demon said, walking over to a table with a pentagon carved on the top.

"A seat at the table. If your goal is to unite all evil under the corrupted power of the sword, you can do far worse than have me at your side," the demon finished, looking over at the Dark Knight.

Phoebe sighed as she looked around at the mess that used to be her office. Letters, notes, and random files were scattered throughout. "I really need an assistant," Phoebe muttered to herself. She was handed another folder, "Responses to last week's column,"

"How'd you get into my e-mail?" Phoebe asked, nimbly opening up the file.

"Your email is maxed out…so we have been using ours," she said.

"Oh, I tell you, Elise better find me a new assistant because pretty soon she's gonna have to ask Phoebe to take my foot out of her..." there was a knock on her door and a young woman walked in. It took Phoebe a minute to recognize who she was, but nonetheless gave her a smile.

"Hi…" she said, probably thinking that Phoebe wouldn't remember her.

"Aviva…wow, it's been so long," she exclaimed.

"Yeah…how've you been?" Aviva replied.

"Good…what are you doing here?" Phoebe asked.

"Uh well…I work for a temp agency and this is my new assignment," she explained.

"As my assistant?" Phoebe half asked half choked.

"Looks like it," she said with a smile. Phoebe stood up and closed the door. She sat down on the couch and motioned for Aviva to join her.

"So what have you been up to?" Phoebe asked.

"School…my mom's been out of rehab for a while now so things at home are good. What about you? Vanquish any demons lately?" Aviva answered.

"This morning…but we tend not to talk about the d word in public," phoebe hissed.

"Oh…right. Duh. So…it looks like you need some….help around here," Aviva commented, eying Phoebe's cluttered desk.

"You could say that," Phoebe laughed.

"Well…I will get started on all of this stuff. You just focus on your column," the young girl said and shooed Phoebe away.

Back at the Manor, Piper stood over the washing machine as it bubbled with soap suds. She let out a groan as they grew bigger and started to overflow. She banged the back of it several times with a wrench and settled for pulling the plug out of the wall.

"There…fixed," she huffed in annoyance. She was about to head upstairs to check on Wyatt when a voice called out to her.

"Hey lady!" the voice called. Piper spun around and looked to see one of the seven dwarves, probably Grumpy, standing there.

"Can I h elp you?" she asked, more than a little annoyed.

"Yeah…we need an authority figure in there. I keep getting pushed around and I just lost my spot in line," he grumbled.

"Line? What line?" Piper asked. He let out a grumble and waved her towards the conservatory. She found a large mass of magical creatures all gathered around the stone.

"What the hell is going on here?" Piper exclaimed.

"Natural selection. Naturally, I hope the sword picks me to be the next King," the dwarf answered.

"Wha-…you people, you creatures whatever you are you can't be here. This is my house…you need to leave," she ordered.

"We have a divine right to try our hand," an ogre retorted.

"Wow…that's rank," she gasped, swatting the air in front of her face.

"Yeah…ten feet's pretty much the limit," the dwarf muttered. Piper made a move toward the sword when a creature glared at her.

"Back of the line," it growled. She glared back at it.

"Chris! Chris, get down here!" Piper shouted. Footsteps pounded on the stairs and he appeared, potion vials in hand.

"Is the demon attack…what the hell?" Chris started to ask.

"I think you failed to mention the magical menagerie would be knocking down the door for this thing," she snapped.

"Hey…I didn't ask you to guard the sword…the Lady in the Lake did," he muttered, taking a step towards the sword.

"Hands off pal. It's my turn," another creature spat.

"Whoah, back off," Chris shot.

"Hey! Chris, don't make me add clean up Whitelighter residue to my 'to do' list,' Piper threatened. Chris slowly backed away from the sword.

Back at the Bay Mirror, Phoebe walked out of the staff meeting, relieved that it was over. She headed towards her office to find it spotless. Aviva sat on the couch, pen and clipboard in her hands.

"Wow…this looks…amazing," Phoebe exclaimed.

"Thanks…it's what I'm hired to do," the younger woman said with a smile.

"So…you're totally organized now. You've got spots for columns written, columns working on, columns considered and a really big file for fan mail," Aviva explained after Phoebe sat down at her desk.

"Thank you so much," Phoebe said again.

"No problem." Aviva replied with a smile. Just then Chris appeared and Phoebe nearly fell out of her chair.

"Are you nuts!" Phoebe hissed as she closed the door.

"Someone could have seen you," she continued.

"Uh…someone did see him," Aviva remarked, waving her hand.

"Oh, you got an assistant. That's great…but Piper needs your help," Chris said.

"Oh it's ok, don't worry. I won't tell anyone," Aviva muttered.

"My help? I thought she was...you know…fixing things around the house," Phoebe remarked.

"Yeah…until the magical community took over the sun room," he sighed.

"Ok, I'm coming," Phoebe muttered. She gave Aviva a sympathetic look as Chris orbed her out. They reappeared at Prue's shoot and flagged her down.

"No…I can't leave," she hissed.

"Your sister needs your help. Let's go," Chris said, taking her by the hand. The next thing she knew, they were standing in the sun room.

"Wow," Phoebe and Prue gasped in unison.

"Oh good you're here. Maybe we can figure out how to get them to leave," Piper sighed, looking really frustrated.

"Have you tried just telling them to go away?" Prue asked.

"Yeah…they're not buying it," the middle sister grumbled.

"Well we have to do something…they can't just stay here," Prue commented.

"More show up every minute," Piper said through gritted teeth.

"No bad guys yet, right?" Prue asked and Piper shook her head.

"Have you asked Leo for help?" Phoebe suggested.

"He's off with Wyatt. He says he doesn't want anything to do with it," Piper grumbled.

"Not to sound like the devil's advocate or anything, but the Lady in the Lake gave you the sword to protect…I wouldn't want to mess with that either,' Chris voiced.

"Oh honestly, if you won't get rid of it…I will," Piper grumbled. She pushed past the mass of magical beings and grabbed the hilt of the sword she made to move the whole thing when the sword slid from within the stone. She stumbled backwards as she pulled it all the way out.

"Wow," she gasped.

"Your majesty," one of the creatures said and the rest bowed.

"I bet you weren't expecting this when you woke up this morning," a man said. Piper spun around.

"Where'd he come from?" she asked.

"You are the new savior. The champion of good, the master of Excalibur. Welcome to your new destiny," he said, bowing his head.

"Damn it," she spat.

Prue and Phoebe started to herd the mass of creatures out of the house while Piper moved to the living room. She sat down on the couch and stared at the sword. This couldn't be happening. Leo had come down with Wyatt and Chris was leaning on the arm of the couch. The man stood across from Piper.

"Ok, they're gone," Phoebe announced once the last creature had been expelled from the premises. Piper stared down at the sword.

"This is ridiculous. It has to be a mistake," she muttered. She jumped slightly as it slid towards her.

"Stop that," she said, pushing it away.

"It's drawn to you. Just as you are drawn to it," the man explained.

"Do I look like I'm drawn to it?' she snapped.

"You will be with time," he retorted.

"Piper…come on…this could be a good thing," Prue commented.

"I don't have time to play Queen Arthur," she snapped.

"Piper, you're been given a great opportunity," Prue argued.

"Right Merlin?" she asked, looking at the man.

"Actually, the name is Mordaunt. Merlin was a myth," he explained. Chris watched the exchange silently from his position on the arm of the couch. He could a strange feeling about all of this. Something about it wasn't right.

"So what are you? Sorcerer? Wizard?" Piper asked.

"Neither I'm afraid. I am merely a humble teacher in service of the sword," he answered with a smile.

"Anyways, we must begin to train before you are confronted with your enemy," Mordaunt expounded.

"The Dark Knight?" Piper asked and he nodded.

"Yeah…we already kicked his ass," Phoebe interjected.

"And if he comes back, we've got a vanquishing potion ready," Piper added.

"What's in it?" Mordaunt questioned.

"It's a mandrake variation with griffin's blood," Piper answered.

"That's fine if you were going up against the pustulous knave. The Dark Knight is no trifle. If you're going to defeat him using magic, you're going to need this," he said. A piece of parchment materialized in his hand.

"I thought you weren't a sorcerer," Leo commented.

"I picked up a few things along the way," Mordaunt muttered and handed Phoebe the list. She looked it over.

"What the…I've never even heard of any of these ingredients," she rasped, showing it to Prue.

"Seems like you picked up a lot," Leo commented.

"I'll go check with the Elders and see if they have any useful information," Leo sighed and looked at Piper.

"Do you want me to take Wyatt with me?" he asked. She seemed lost in her own world.

"Piper," he called and she looked up.

"Huh?" she mumbled.

"Do you want me to take Wyatt?" he asked.

"Sure…I'll be ok," she murmured.

"We're going to see if we can find these potion ingredients," Prue announced.

"I'll orb you. I think I know of an apothecary that sells some of this stuff," Chris offered. He was apprehensive about leaving Piper alone with Mordaunt but he knew if he sensed anything out of the ordinary he could orb back at a moment's notice. Piper watched her sisters and Chris disappear in orbs. Before she knew it, Mordaunt had conjured a sword and took a swing at her. She'd picked up Excalibur and blocked it effortlessly.

"Not bad for your first time…much better than Arthur was," Mordaunt applauded.

"Really?" Piper asked with a smile.

"I'm going to come in low. I want you to just believe in Excalibur. Let its power flow through you," he instructed before he delivered the promised blow. She blocked it again. With that they migrated up to the attic to have more practice space.

On the other side of the city, Chris, Phoebe and Prue walked into a dimly lit shop. Prue looked around and shivered. Phoebe pulled the list from her purse and looked at it again.

"This place creeps me out," Prue muttered.

"Can I help you?" a woman in a long flowing skirt asked, appearing from out of nowhere.

"Yeah…we need this stuff," Phoebe answered, handing the list over.

"Do you mind if we use this mortar and pestle to make a little potion?" Prue called.

"Go right ahead," the woman explained and gathered the ingredients. Chris watched from afar, trying to concentrate on all three sisters at once. It was proving to be much more difficult than he'd anticipated.

Far below them in the Underworld, the Dark Knight appeared in a cave with the demon who'd provided the executioner demons.

"These are your best?" the Dark Knight asked.

"The highest class. They'll get the job done," the demon replied.

"They'd better. Or else it won't be me they answer to," the Dark Knight growled.

"I don't understand…I though you…" the demon began but was cut off.

"I serve a greater power," he replied. Before the demon could speak, an Executioner demon appeared and set a sack down on the table. The sack wiggled open to reveal the dwarf.

"I should have known you'd be after the sword," the dwarf scoffed.

"Tell him," the executioner demanded.

"Kiss my grubby ass," the dwarf spat. The demon growled and pressed a dagger to the small creature's throat.

"You're too late. Piper Halliwell wields Excalibur and she's been trained how to use it," he admitted.

"What? Who is training her?" the Knight demanded. The dwarf shrugged and with a well placed punch, disappeared.

"Does this change anything?" the demon asked.

"This changes everything," the Knight hissed.

Back at the apothecary, Prue was about to add the final ingredients. She checked the list and grabbed the ingredient.

"Wraith essence," she said and tossed it in. Not far away from her, Chris suddenly looked panic-stricken. Without a word he disappeared in orbs. Neither Prue nor Phoebe seemed to notice.

"And a level teaspoon of black poppy," she sighed.

"Wait!" the shop owner called and rushed forward. She pushed Prue away and took the small amount of black seeds from Prue's hand.

"Watch," she said and took several steps back before tossing the poppy into the potion. A loud explosion and puff of smoke erupted.

"You never mix wraith essence and black poppy," she said, looking sternly at the sisters.

"Why would he give us these ingredients then," Phoebe rasped.

"To kill us…" Prue said, looking angry.

"Chris we need to…" Prue began but Chris was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd he go?" she asked.

"I…he ditched us!" Phoebe gasped.

"We need to get home," Prue said and dragged Phoebe out of the shop.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked as Prue hailed a cab.

"Getting us home," she said.

"1329 Prescott Street and step on it," Prue ordered of the cabbie once they'd climbed in.

At the Manor Piper and Mordaunt were in battle with the Dark Knight and his minions. Mordaunt easily vanquished the three demons facing him. Right then, Chris orbed in and nearly missed being cut in half by the Dark Knight. With the Knight distracted, Piper vanquished him.

"You did well," Mordaunt complimented.

"Thank you…" Piper said with a smile.

"What the hell are you doing?" Chris asked, looking at Piper.

"I believe I just vanquished the Dark Knight," she replied.

"Give me that thing. You're going to hurt someone with that," Chris snapped, reaching for the sword.

"Back off," Piper shot. She flicked her wrist and Chris blew up into tiny orbs. He rematerialized behind Mordaunt. Chris took a chance and charged the man, tackling him to the ground.

"You manipulative bastard," Chris spat.

"You're trying to kill her," he continued, landing a solid punch or two to Mordaunt's jaw.

"Get off of him," Piper demanded. She grabbed Chris by the back of his shirt and sent him stumbling across the room.

"Piper…what are you doing?" Chris asked, seeing a dangerous glint in Piper's eye.

"You had no right to attack him," she shot and charged the young whitelighter. The next thing Chris knew he was lying on the ground, clutching a gaping wound in his abdomen.

"Mom," he rasped, tears spilling down his cheeks. No one seemed to hear him. Piper was too busy cleaning off Excalibur. Even when Prue and Phoebe arrived, they didn't seem to notice Chris lying on the ground.

"Piper, he's not who he says he is," Phoebe said.

"He tried to kill us," Prue added.

"I don't believe you," Piper shot and she and Mordaunt disappeared.

"Her majesty has left the building," Phoebe sighed.

"More like her madness," Prue grumbled and headed for the stairs. Phoebe followed behind her. Chris looked around and tried to get up but found that the strength was leaving his body. He licked his lips and tried to call out.

"Leo," he gurgled but no response came. However, downstairs, Leo appeared with Wyatt in his arm.

"Did you girls call me?" he asked.

"No but we could use your help. Mordaunt tried to kill us. He's trying to get the sword by using Piper," Prue answered.

"The Elders said that Piper is only meant to pass it on to its true recipient," Leo sighed, setting Wyatt down in his playpen.

"Well maybe…if we figure out who she is supposed to give it to and we can get her to give it to them…we can stop Mordaunt," Prue rambled.

"Ok…scrying isn't going to work," Phoebe muttered, slamming the crystal down on the table.

"They'll surface eventually. And when they do, we'll be ready," Prue assured her sibling. In his playpen, Wyatt let out a cry. Leo stood and picked his son up but his father's reassuring murmurs didn't quiet him.

"What's wrong buddy?" Leo asked.

"Maybe he knows something is wrong with Piper," Phoebe suggested.

In a cave, Piper and Mordaunt stood in front of a round table with a pentagram on it. She looked around and wasn't very impressed.

"This is Camelot. Doesn't look like much," she muttered.

"Not yet…but it will be. It will be whatever you want it to be. You will have no one above you and everyone will obey your every word," Mordaunt whispered.

"I like that…maybe this whole new destiny thing is going to work out. I was getting kind of bored with the other one," she said with a smirk.

"But first…we need to fill your round table with knights," he stated. Piper nodded and picked up Excalibur. They disappeared together.

"Oh I found them!" Prue exclaimed. She'd taken over scrying while Phoebe tried to calm Wyatt down. Phoebe set Wyatt down and took Prue by the hand. She astral projected them to Piper's location. They found her with Excalibur pressed to the throat of a demon. Mordaunt stood at her side.

"I knew this was a trick," the demon hissed.

"I told you to back off," Piper shot at her sisters. She tossed Excalibur at them but they managed to dive out of the way just in time. The demon shot two bolts of electricity at Prue and Phoebe, knocking them unconscious as their spirits began to hover over their bodies. Once more Piper and Mordaunt disappeared.

"Leo!" Prue's spirit called.

Some time later, they were back at the Manor, recovering from their out of body experiences. Wyatt was still whimpering in his playpen but it had dulled by now.

"We really need to stop doing that," Phoebe groaned.

"Ok…well…do we have any idea who it is that Piper is supposed to hand Excalibur off to?" she asked. Prue looked over at Wyatt.

"No…it can't be….can it?" she breathed.

"It would make sense," Phoebe said.

"Now that we know who…we just have to figure out how to get her to give it to him," Prue sighed. Leo looked up, his brow furrowed.

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"I keep hearing noises upstairs…" Leo explained.

"That's not good," Prue said and stood up.

Down in the cave, Mordaunt faced the four demons Piper had chosen for her round table. He'd convinced her he needed to administer a loyalty oath.

"If you would all place your left hand…or claw on the point in front of you," he instructed. They all did so.

"Supreme demonic powers, leave your host and find a new home in this willing heart," he chanted. A bright light ran along the outline of the pentagram, vanquishing each demon as it hit.

"My knights! Why did you vanquish my knights!" Piper exclaimed.

"So I could do this," he sneered. He picked up Excalibur.

"Now I have the supreme power. And I will rid the world of the true heir of Excalibur before he is old enough to use it," he laughed, running the sword straight through Piper's body. He caught her and they disappeared, reappearing in an abandoned area.

"Don't worry. It won't be long," he whispered before dematerializing. Back at the Manor Leo was about to head upstairs to check out the noises when he felt a huge surge of pain.

"What is it?" Prue asked, holding Wyatt tightly in her arms.

"Piper…she's hurt," he said, orbing out without another word.

"Ok…we know the plan right?" Prue asked.

"Yes Prue…we know the plan," Phoebe sighed as they waited out of sight int the conservatory. Leo reappeared at Piper's side, his hands glowing instantly.

"Where's Wyatt?" she coughed as she sat up. He took her hand and gently helped her to her feet.

Mordaunt appeared in the Manor, inching his way towards the playpen.

"It's the end of an era. So sorry, King Wyatt,' he hissed and shoved the sword down into the blanket-covered bundle. He received a squeak in response. He pulled the sword out to reveal a teddy bear.

"That was his favorite teddy bear," Prue said, walking in with Wyatt. Just then Phoebe joined her and Leo and Piper appeared as well.

"Bet you weren't expecting this when you got up this morning,' Piper snickered, taking Wyatt from Prue's arms.

"Go for it," Leo said. The sword disappeared from Mordaunt's hand, reappearing in front of Wyatt. With a blink, Wyatt sent the sword straight through Mordaunt, vanquishing him instantly. The sword clattered to the floor.

"Good job buddy," Piper said, hugging him. Just then a thought hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my God….Chris!" she said, shoving Wyatt into Phoebe's arms. She raced upstairs to find Chris lying on the floor, barely conscious.

"What happened?" Prue asked as Leo bent down, his hands outstretched.

"I…I think I happened to him…when I was corrupted by the sword," Piper murmured. Chris coughed several times and opened his eyes.

"He was going to kill you," Chris rasped.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you," Piper apologized, laughing a little.

"It's ok," Chris said, slowly sitting up.

"How long have you been lying there?" Prue asked.

"Since you left…" he answered. Leo helped him up and with another word of assurance that he was ok, Chris orbed out.

"I feel bad," Prue sighed.

"You feel bad? I impaled him!" Piper groaned.

"I think he forgives you," Phoebe said, hugging Piper.

Evening turned into night time and Piper sat in the attic, watching Wyatt drink his bottle. She eyes Excalibur in the corner, resheathed in the stone.

"How are you doing?" Leo asked as he walked in.

"His highness seems content," Piper answered.

"I…fixed the sink and the cable and the washer…and the toilet," he said.

"Wow…I forgot how handy you are to have around," she said.

"And…I fixed the disposal this morning…Prue just didn't want you to know," he added with a smirk. Piper laughed a little before looking down at Wyatt.

"Before we take that thing out of storage you have to promise me you'll play football and soccer and baseball and play with normal toys," she said. He looked up at her and gurgled around the nipple of his bottle. Leo couldn't help but snake an arm around Piper's waist as they watched their son start to grow drowsy.


	7. Little Monsters

Little Monsters

Phoebe and Jason sat across from each other in a quaint Italian restaurant. Presently they were leaning across the table, kissing quite passionately. Neither noticed the waiter approach, a bottle of wine in hand. He reached the table and cleared his throat to make his presence known.

"Pardon me," he said calmly. Phoebe and Jason looked up.

"Oh…Hi…I didn't see you there," Phoebe rambled, blushing profusely.

"There is no need to apologize, signora. Especially not for a kiss like that," he said with a smile, extending the bottle of wine.

"1995 brunello di montalcino," the waiter explained, showing Jason the label.

"Great. Decant it, please," Jason said. The waiter nodded and walked away.

"Wow…that was embarrassing," Phoebe breathed.

"Hey you heard the man, don't apologize," Jason said with a broad smile.

"I'm just so happy for you," Phoebe said, taking his hand in hers.

"Thank you. I still can't believe it. I've wanted to buy my grandfather's winery ever since he died," Jason explained.

"I know…" Phoebe murmured.

"I just hope he knows somehow," Jason sighed.

"I think he does," Phoebe answered.

"You sound like you have inside information or something," he laughed.

"Maybe I do," she said with a smile. Jason grinned, squeezing her hand tightly.

"You're so special, Phoebe," he said. Phoebe blushed a little more and got a vibe from him.

"I love you too," she said, immediately covering her mouth. Damn her empathic abilities.

"What was that?" he asked. Phoebe started to panic.

"Who said what?" she rambled.

"It sounded like you said 'I love you, too'," he stated.

"No…I said you twice. I said…I love you you," she rambled. She was really starting to panic and she knocked her wine glass over.

"Daniel, table three," the head waiter called. A young man appeared with a rag to clean it up.

"Thanks…I'm so sorry," Phoebe apologized. Just then, she spotted Prue walking towards them.

"Prue…" Phoebe said, jumping to her feet.

"Hi…sorry to bother you but Piper has bit of a…power problem and she could really use your help," Prue said.

"Can't she just call the power company?" Jason asked. Prue smiled a little at him.

"Well…she tried but the line was busy," she said, turning back to Phoebe.

"Alright…let's go. We'll you know…" she began, looking at Jason.

"Talk?" he offered.

"Yes. We'll talk later," she said and they rushed from the restaurant. Prue gabbed Phoebe's hand and the astral projection disappeared.

"Ok…yeah I really hate when you do that," Phoebe hissed at her sister. They looked over to see Piper staring at a creature standing over a demon.

"Ok…let's vanquish this thing," Prue hissed.

"Shh," Piper shot.

"Something beat us to it," she informed them both.

"Ew…what is it doing?" Phoebe whispered.

"I think it's eating it," Piper answered.

"Or storing it," Prue murmured. Before their eyes the demon disintegrated into dust, leaving just the creature behind.

"Ok…I say we don't wait to find out what that wants," Piper said. Her voice seemed to carry and alert the creature. It turned and stuck out its lizard-like tongue.

"Blow it up," Phoebe squealed. Piper flicked her wrists but it only served to piss the creature off.

"I'm trying," she said, sounding panic-stricken. Phoebe looked around and spotted a lose cable.

"Prue…the cable," she called. Prue waved her arm at it and it went soaring downwards, connecting with the creature. It exploded in a fiery vanquish and the girls heaved a collective sigh of relief. They were about to leave when a cry issued from a few feet away.

"What was that?" Prue asked. Phoebe shook her head but headed that direction. She found a bundle and unwrapped it. She found a baby staring up at her.

"Guys," she called, waving her sisters over. They all bent down around the infant as he stuck out a lizard-like tongue.

"Cute," Prue muttered as he did it again. Phoebe gently picked up the infant and looked at her sisters.

"We can't just leave it here," she said. Piper groaned but linked hands with her sisters and threw a transport potion.

The following morning, Prue and Phoebe stood watching the infant wiggling around in the playpen. Piper was nowhere to be seen.

"I still can't believe we vanquished its Mommy," Phoebe sighed.

"Yeah well…in our defense we didn't know it was a Mommy…and Mommy tried to kill us," Prue muttered.

"Still…he's just so adorable. Except when he does that weird thing with his tongue," Phoebe answered just as Piper walked in.

"Ok…Wyatt is upstairs so he should be…" she began but was interrupted by orbs appearing in the playpen. Wyatt materialized next to the demon child.

"Safe," she groaned.

"Wyatt will be ok. He has his protective bubble if he needs it," Phoebe reminded her sister.

"You know…maybe he's not all demon," Prue mumbled.

"He's demon enough," Piper grumbled as the baby stuck out its tongue and sucked up a pacifier.

"Guys, he's just a little baby. He can't be evil," Phoebe protested.

"Yeah…reality check, last half demon we trusted almost got us all killed," Prue shot.

"Please don't bring him into this," Phoebe begged.

"I'm just saying. They're just as dangerous as regular demons," Prue stated. Phoebe looked hurt and turned her back on her siblings.

"Phoebe…" Prue said, reaching a hand out but Phoebe shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she muttered. Before Piper or Phoebe could speak, orbs fluttered into the room to form Chris. He looked at the three sisters.

"So….you vanquished the demon?" he asked. Piper gave a little laugh.

"Yes…and no,' she answered

"What does that mean?" he probed.

"The good news is…the demon you sent us after is…you know…gone," Prue explained.

"But whatever it was left us this," Piper groaned, pointing at the baby. He stuck his tongue out at Chris.

Prue snickered at the shocked look on Chris' face. "I think he likes you Chris," Prue wisecracked.

"I really don't care, vanquish it," Chris demanded angrily.

"Chris…." Phoebe said in a shocked voice.

"I mean it, vanquish it right now," Chris growled. Piper glared at the young Whitelighter; there was no way she was going to vanquish a child. Even when those demonic children were after them three years back, they sent them to purgatory in the demon catching truck.

"I am a mother Chris, there is no way in hell I am vanquishing a little baby," Piper chided.

"Someone's singing a different tune," Phoebe coughed and Piper glared at her.

"I'm just concerned that this could be the future evil that gets to Wyatt," Chris replied.

"Don't be ridiculous. He is just a baby," Phoebe retorted.

"I'm being ridiculous? There is a demon in the playpen. Does that not bother any of you?" Chris exclaimed. Before any of them could answer, the phone began to ring. Prue bolted for it.

"I got it," she called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner.

"If it's Jason, tell him I'm in the shower," Phoebe shouted. Piper eyed her sister.

"Are you avoiding him?" Phoebe answered.

"Sort of…I kind of told him that I loved him last night," she admitted.

"Ok…this is bad?" Piper questioned and Phoebe nodded, sinking into the nearby chair.

"It is when I said 'I love you, too'. As if he'd said 'I love you' first….which he didn't," she rambled.

"Oh yeah….that is bad," Piper agreed. Chris just watched them, awe-struck at how distracted they were.

"I mean…I'll be lucky if he doesn't move to Hong Kong permanently," Phoebe griped.

"I really thought I had my empath power under control," she sighed.

"Forget that. What are you going to do?" Chris interrupted.

"What can I do? I mean guys hear "I love you" and the bolt. It's just what they do," Phoebe replied.

"About the baby. I mean the baby," he shot.

In the kitchen Prue had the phone pressed to her shoulder. She was pacing back and forth. She could hear her sisters' voices in the other room but wasn't really paying attention.

"Darryl, slow down. What is going on," she said.

"I…I know I've never asked for anything before….but I need some help…magical help," he said, walking around downtown. SWAT teams were positioned around as onlookers were kept behind police tape.

"Ok…what's wrong?" Prue asked.

"It's this stupid kid. He's got hostages and I know him. He's not a bad kid but SWAT is ready to move in. I can't lose him, Prue," Darryl explained.

"Ok…I'll be there as soon as I can," she said and hung up, rushing back into the sun room.

"Was is Jason?" Phoebe asked.

"No…it was Darryl. He has a little problem…so I'm going to go help him. And then I have to get to work," Prue answered.

"What…no you can't leave," Chris protested as Prue headed for the front door.

"You're just going to let her walk away?" he demanded of Piper.

"You are welcome to try and stop her," Piper stated.

"I'm going to go talk to Jason," Phoebe sighed and headed in the same direction.

"Her too," Piper added.

"Call me if you need anything," she called over her shoulder.

"Ok. Love you," Piper replied.

"Don't!" Phoebe groaned.

"Sorry," Piper muttered with a small snicker.

"You're ok with them just dumping this in your lap?" Chris asked.

"Well they don't seem too worried," Piper answered.

"Well they should be. I need to figure out what the hell this thing is," he muttered and orbed up to the attic to retrieve the Book of Shadows.

Down at the Bay Mirror, Phoebe rushed in to the office and looked around.

**"**Hey, is Jason here?" she asked one of her co-workers. He looked at her nervously.

**"**No!" he exclaimed at first.

"I mean, yes, he is but he asked not be disturbed," he added. Phoebe gave a pitiful sounding laugh.

**"**Yeah, but that can't possibly mean me. I mean…why would it mean me?" Phoebe rambled. The man gave her a sympathetic look.

**"A**ctually, it specifically means you. It's just what he told us all " he explained. Phoebe's mouth hung open in shock. It couldn't really be true.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" he probed. Phoebe was starting to get angry. It wasn't any of his damn business.

**"**No, but we're about to," she spat and charged forward. She pushed the door open and stopped short. A group of men looked up at her and Jason looked annoyed.

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling really stupid. Jason let out a sigh.

**"**Phoebe, what are you doing?" he asked, sounding frustrated. She scratched the back of her neck.

**"**I didn't know you were in the middle of a meeting. They just said…" Phoebe began but he cut her off.

**"****Well you should have.**That's why the door was closed," he answered, standing up.

**"****Oh**Really? See I was told the door was closed specifically for me," she ranted. Jason turned his attention to his associates and apologized to them in Italian before forcibly showing Phoebe out of the office.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian," she hissed.

**"**How come I didn't know you spoke Italian?" she pressed.

**"**Is that what you came here to ask me, Phoebe? Why I never told you I spoke Italian?" he shot. The rest of the staff had gotten used them acting like a couple and were keeping their attention focused on their own work.

**"**No of course not. Though it would have been nice to know," Phoebe replied immediately.

"I just wanted to talk about last night, that's all," she added quickly.

**"**Okay, fine. But, can we do it later? I'm in the middle of a very important business meeting right now," he asked. She could tell he was not happy about being interrupted.

**"**Sure. I'm sorry about that, really I am. So how about tonight?" she offered.

**"**Tonight? Tonight's not good for me. I'm flying to Rome," he answered. Phoebe gave a meager laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. He hadn't really just said he was flying to Rome had he?

**"**Wait, what? Since when are you going to Italy?" she demanded.

**"**I've been meaning to tell you, it just came up today…" he trailed off.

**"**Really? That's pretty convenient don't you think. Let me guess…it came up right after I told you I loved you?" she spat angrily. She couldn't quite tell whose anger she was feeling; hers or his.

**"**Oh, come on. You can't be serious," Jason scoffed.

**"**I mean, I've heard of guys running when they hear the L word. I've seen it happen, but running all the way to Italy? That has to be some kind of new record, Jason," she shot heatedly.

**"**Could you keep your voice down, please? It's got nothing to do with that and you know it.

**"**That's a crock. We both know how you really feel about me. The only difference is I'm the only one who's not afraid of it. Ciao!" she said loudly and stormed out of the office, leaving Jason and the rest of the staff to stare at her in shock.

Back at the Manor, Piper and Chris are still in the sun room. Piper kept an eye on Wyatt and the demon baby while Chris flipped through the Book. He was currently looking at the page on Manticores. He trailed his finger down the page as he read.

"Vicious demons with supernatural strength and venomous claws. Manticores communicate with high-pitch cries and tend to travel in packs," he read and let out a sigh.

"Great. Well, I say we get rid of the thing before the pack comes looking for him," he suggested. Piper eyed the young whitelighter nervously. She knew he was dead set on keeping Wyatt safe but she wasn't entirely sure she could handle vanquishing a baby…even if it was demonic.

**"**Okay, fine. What do you suggest we do with him? Call social services? I don't really think they're going to want to take a demon baby," she stated.

**"**No, I suggest you vanquish it," he replied, rolling his eyes.

**"**Chris, I'm a mother, I can't go around vanquishing babies, no matter how evil they are," she reminded him.

**"****Piper**it's not about how evil he is, it's how evil he will be. You have stop looking at him like he's a little baby and start looking at him like he's an unstoppable killing machine, because that's what he is," Chris rambled, starting to pace back and forth.

**"**I get what you're saying…I really do. I just can't do it," she answered.

**"**Piper, think about this. You're supposed to protect the innocents, right? Well, think of all the future innocents you can save by vanquishing him right now," Chris retorted. Piper just shook her head at him.

**"**Don't you think I know that? I'm scared to death of what he can possibly do to Wyatt but I can't even separate them," she replied, looking over at the two children. The demon baby gave a toothless grin, wiggling his tongue out at Wyatt.

**"**Piper, there's one thing you can do and you know it. And you better do it fast before any other Manticore show up. There's no known vanquishing potion," Chris muttered.

**"**I just can't do it. I'm sorry. But I can't vanquish a baby," she responded.

**"**Okay…fine. Well, if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to Leo," he sighed and disappeared in orbs. Piper looked over at the two babies just in time to see the Manticore shimmer out and back in twice, a broad smile plastered on his face. She couldn't help but smile just a little bit.

Down at the post office, Prue was pushing her way through to the front of the crowd, trying to get Darryl's attention. Behind a large van, one of the SWAT was talking into his radio.

**"**We're in position, lieutenant, we've got a clean shot," he stated. Darryl was still pacing around; growing anxious that Prue wasn't there yet. Prue caught sight of the officer and let out a hiss.

(Prue stands behind a barricade along with other people who are watching.)

**"**Darryl! Over here," she called. He heaved a sigh of relief and lifted his radio to his lips.

"Stand by," he ordered and rushed towards her. He ushered her under the tape and started to lead her away from the crowd.

"What the hell took so long?" he asked. Prue gave a small sheepish smile.

**"**I have to head to a shoot after this and besides, I didn't want to astral project. Might have given you more magic than you were looking for," Prue answered. Darryl nodded but didn't look happy.

**"**I'm not sure what you could have done anyway. He's not letting any of the hostages go and SWAT is ready to move in," he said glumly.

**"Ok. Uh…what do you need then?" she asked.**

**"**I don't know, if I could just talk to the kid without getting shot," he answered with a shrug. He wasn't sure where this was going and he wasn't sure he was going t like the outcome either. Prue nodded and thought for a minute.

**"**I think I can come up with a spell," she muttered more to herself than to him.

**"**Whoa, spell. What spell?" he babbled.

**"**Just go with it" she muttered, taking a deep breath.

"Blessed with powers from my destiny, I bless this hero with invincibility," she chanted. Darryl glowed blue for a minute.

"How does it feel?" Prue asked, hoping it had worked.

**"**It's feels good," he said, sounding extremely confident in himself.

**"Ok…uh just…be careful. Spells don't always work the way we want them to…personal gain and stuff," she warned as he walked away. He just nodded his head as he approached the front of the post office.**

**"**I got it, don't worry," he called to the SWAT team.

Just inside the building, the young man who was holding hostages began to panic. He raised his gun at Darryl.

**"**Hey, turn around! Get out of here! I swear to god, man, I'll shoot! I'll shoot you, man! I swear to God I'll do it!" he shouted, the gun shaking in his hand. When Darryl didn't move he grabbed the man in front of him and pointed the gun at his head.

**"**Put your gun down, son. I just wanna talk," Darryl called. The boy fired off three rounds at Darryl but they simply bounced off of him. Darryl grinned.

"I'm going in!" he called.

High above the city on the Golden Gate Bridge. Leo stood, his eyes closed and arms outstretched. He didn't even move when Chris orbed in next to him.

**"**Leo, I have been looking everywhere for you," Chris said, sounding a little out of breath.

"What are you doing up here anyways?" he added when Leo didn't respond.

**"**Communing with the other Elders," he replied calmly. Chris tried to stifle a snicker. Leo opened his eyes and looked over at him.

**"****Uh…**can anyone see us?" Chris asked, noting the height.

**"**Not me. But you look like a lunatic standing up here talking to yourself," Leo answered with a laugh.

"What do you want?" he continued.

**"**It's about Piper," Chris began but Leo interrupted him.

**"**Is she alright?" he asked.

**"**Yeah, she's fine, don't worry. It's Wyatt I'm more worried about," Chris answered.

**"**Why? What happened? Is he ok?" Leo asked, starting to look visibly worried.

**"**Well, nothing…yet," Chris muttered and cleared his throat.

"Just…you know…out of curiosity, what's the Elders' policy on vanquishing demon babies?" he asked. Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

**"**Why?" Leo questioned, arms crossed over his chest now.

**"**No reason, really. There's just one playing with Wyatt in his playpen as we speak," he answered with a shrug.

At the Manor, Piper walked into the attic and set Wyatt in the playpen in the center of the room. It had been almost impossible to separate him from his little 'friend' but she'd done it.

**"**Okay, listen to me, buddy. You will not orb down to your little friend, do you understand me? No orbing," she said firmly. He just looked up at her as the Manticore baby shimmered in next to him, giggling. Piper let out a loud huff.

"I give up," she gasped. Just as she sunk onto the couch, Phoebe walked in.

"I have had it with men. I swear, they are incorrigible," she whined.

**"**Well, let me tell you, little boys aren't much better," Piper interjected.

**"**I mean, I can understand running, if he didn't love me back, you know. Fight or flight, it's the nature of the beast," Phoebe rambled, seeming not to have heard her sister's comment.

**"**Speaking of beasts," Piper tried to interject again.

**"**But he does love me, I know, I felt it. So what's the big deal? You know, why is he running?" she continued on, clueless still.

"Pheebs, I get that your love life sucks right now but can we please focus on the demonic threat at hand?" Piper asked. Phoebe looked at her sister, her attention peaked.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

**"****Well****…**if this potion doesn't work then we won't be able to vanquish the Manticores when they come to pick up their little one," Piper explained, filling a couple vials with potion.

**"**Oh, you figured out what they are?" she asked, sounding interested now.

**"**Yeah, and it's not good, believe me," Piper sighed.

"What are they?" the younger of the two questioned as she leaned o the table.

"Manticores," Piper sighed. Phoebe nodded, not entirely sure that she understood the severity of the situation but she trusted Piper's instincts.

**"**So maybe Chris is right. Maybe we have to vanquish him," Phoebe murmured, looking over at the infant.

**"**Yeah, I know, but I can't," Piper hissed.

**"**Piper, you said it yourself, he was born evil," Phoebe reminded her.

**"**I know and I still believe that, I do. But something just doesn't add up about him," Piper began.

"I mean, why isn't Wyatt using his protective shield? Why doesn't Wyatt think he's evil?" she continued.

**"**Well, we have to keep Wyatt away from him," Phoebe said and walked over to the playpen. She started to reach in towards Wyatt when Piper called out.

**"**Phoebe, wait," she called but Phoebe had already picked Wyatt up and out of the playpen. As soon as his presence in the playpen disappeared, the baby began to cry.

**"**You stay away from my nephew. Don't think of shimmering after him either or I'll bind your powers," Phoebe scolded. This only caused baby to begin screaming, the shrill, piercing sound echoing through the attic.

**"**Phoebe, put him back down. Quickly," Piper rasped. Phoebe looked at and started to move back towards the playpen.

**"**Why?" she asked, setting him down in the playpen nonetheless. Almost immediately, a large, grotesque creature appeared behind Phoebe.

**"**That's why," Piper called. The creature caught Phoebe off-guard and sent her stumbling into Piper. The creature advanced on the playpen but Wyatt's shield surrounded the playpen.

"Hey! Get the hell away from my kid!" she shouted, continuing to try and blow him up. It had very little effect. Finally he shimmered out. Piper was about to heave a sigh of relief when she felt arms wrap around her and she was pulled out of the attic by a shimmer.

(She continues to try and blow him up until he shimmers out. He shimmers back in behind Piper, grabs her and shimmers back out.)

**Some time later, Prue walked into the attic, carrying an ice pack. She glanced over at the baby to see he was asleep. Wyatt just sat there, staring back.**

**"****I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help," she apologized as she handed her sibling an ice pack for her neck.**

"I'm not really sure you could have helped even if you were there," Phoebe answered.

"That thing was just as powerful as the Manticore," she added.

**"****And you are sure that it wasn't a Manticore?" Prue questioned. Phoebe nodded.**

**"**Yeah, I'm positive, it was more, I don't know, beast-like," she answered, pushing the book towards Prue. She looked down at the page on Manticores.

"Well they're not really all that attractive either," she muttered mostly to herself.

**"**What do you think it wanted with the baby?" Prue asked. Phoebe just shook her head.

**"****Honestly,**I don't know. It's really weird though…it showed up right after the baby started screaming bloody murder. Kind of like it could hear him," Phoebe explained. She let out a loud, prolonged sigh.

"I can't believe I can't find Piper," she groaned.

"We'll find her. Look…she was making a potion right?" Prue began and Phoebe nodded, wincing in the process.

"Well I will work on the potion. If he wanted to kill her, she'd be dead already and you'd feel it. He probably took her somewhere protected," Prue rambled.

"He might use her as leverage for getting the baby…you know, like a trade," she added.

**"**Since when did you become an expert on hostage situations?" Phoebe snickered. Prue just gave her a look.

**"**I'm just saying that it makes sense. Demons…aren't above bartering," Prue muttered. Just then Leo and Chris orbed in.

(Leo and Chris orb in.)

**"**Hey," Chris said a little too loudly.

**"**Shh, keep it down," Prue snapped in a hushed voice as the baby started to stir.

**"**Where's Piper?" Chris hissed back, looking around.

**"**That's a really good question," Phoebe said with a guilty look.

**"**Wait, she's missing? When did that happen?" Leo asked.

"Did the Manticores take her?" Chris pressed. Phoebe couldn't look at either of them.

**"**No…not really. Some other creature that wanted the baby grabbed her," Phoebe answered.

**"**Damn it, you should have listened to me," Chris spat.

"You should have vanquished him when you had the chance," he concluded.

**"**Well apparently it's good that we didn't listen, even though I agree with you. We're going to need the baby if we want Piper back," Prue stated.

**"**Guys, keep your voices down," Phoebe hissed.

"I think I should take Wyatt just to be on the safe side," Leo interrupted.

**"**What if the other baby wakes up?" Phoebe asked softly.

**"**They won't be able to follow me where I'm going," he assured her and picked up Wyatt.

**"**He's going to scream bloody murder when he wakes up. He'll probably call half the Manticores in the city to come save him. Maybe the beast too," Prue said nervously.

**"**We have to be prepared," Phoebe said. She looked over at Leo and nodded her head that he could leave. As quietly as he could, he orbed out with Wyatt in his arms, Chris in toe.

"Let's get started on that potion," Phoebe said, standing up and setting the icepack down.

In a dark house, Piper looked around, her hands bound behind her to a post. She glanced over the poor housekeeping and broken furniture. A sound caught her attention as the floorboards cringed in the next room beneath the weight of the beast. She could just make out his large form in the darkness.

**"**Hello? Who's there?" Piper called, fighting against the ropes binding her hands. The creature peered around the corner, trying to stay hidden as best he could.

**"**I want the child," it called.

**"**Who are you?" Piper asked.

**"**I want the child!" it repeated.

**"**Yeah, I heard you the first time," Piper muttered as the creature ducked behind a bookcase.

"\Look, if you're trying to scare me, it's not going to work. I've seen worse, really," she called.

** "**I doubt it," the creature spat.

"I don't want to hurt you but I will if you don't do as I ask," he added.

**"**Who are you kidding? You need me. Otherwise I'd be dead already,' she shot

**"**Don't mock me!" the creature hissed, slowly coming into view.

**"**Okay, easy, easy. Sorry," Piper apologized.

"So, you're not a Manticore, are you?" she asked. He nodded his head.

"Why do you want the kid, then?" she pressed further.

**"**That's not your concern," the creature spat.

**"**Well, it is if you want my help. I'm not just going serve him up to you as a snack," she shot heatedly. She continued to work the ropes around her wrists, loosening them a little more.

**"**That's not why I want him," the creature answered.

"How did you get him away from his mother anyway?" he asked. Piper gave him a smile.

**"**We vanquished her," she answered. The creature recoiled, looking shocked.

**"**You have no idea what you've done," he shouted.

**"**We got a baby away from a demon. I'm sure as hell not going to serve him up to another one," she responded.

**"**Then you'll die," the creature threatened.

**"**The hell I will," Piper shot back, her hands finally free of the ropes. She blew up the bookcase behind the creature and headed for the door. She reached out and it zapped her, sending her backwards a few paces.

Down at the post office, Darryl had handled the situation a little too well. He was feeling incredible but everything he did or touched seemed to be magnified hundredfold. He was currently on his cell phone, trying to hold it as lightly as he could.

"Prue?" he asked.

"Hey Darryl. How'd it go?" Prue responded.

"Fine…except for the fact that I think your spell worked too well," he hissed.

"I warned you…personal gain is a bitch," Prue commented.

"Well fix it," he shot.

"Ok…hang on," she said and ended the call. She looked over at Phoebe.

"I'll be right back. I just have to go fix Darryl," she said and astral projected herself. She appeared and spotted Darryl. Thinking quickly she reversed the spell.

"Thanks," he said, feeling normal again.

"Yeah…ok…I have to go. Demons to vanquish, sister to save. You know…the usual," she said and disappeared.

Piper had given up trying to escape and was wandering around the house. She'd noticed a lot of baby toys lying around. She also noticed a picture lying the floor, the glass in the frame shattered. She was just about to pick it up when the creature appeared, pressing her against the nearby wall.

** "**Last chance. Help me get the child or die," he spat. Piper eyed him oddly and raised the baby rattle.

**"**What are you doing with this?" she asked. Angrily he sent her flying and she landed on the bed.

**"**What's wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?" he howled.

"I've come to far; I've gone through too much to lose him now. Don't make me kill you," he roared.

**"**Why don't you just do it, then? What are you waiting for? Get it over with. Come on…be a demon," she shot back at him.

**"**I can do worse than kill you. I can keep you here and you'll never see your child again," he hissed.

'Think about it," he spat and disappeared in a shimmer.

Back at the Manor, Prue had returned and they were finishing the potion. Prue tossed something in and the potion burped up a puff of smoke.

**"**Well, can't think of anything else to add," Prue said.

"I mean…this has to be one of the most powerful potions we've made since…" she added but trailed off. Phoebe merely nodded, understanding what her sister didn't want to say.

"I guess it's time to wake up the baby," Phoebe murmured. She was about to walk over to the playpen when her phone began to ring. She quickly answered it.

**"**Hello?" she answered.

**"**Hey, it's me," Jason said from the other end.

**"**Oh, hi, Jason," Phoebe said, sounding surprised that he was calling after the argument they'd had at the office.

**"****Phoebe…I….**I didn't wanna leave like this," he began.

**"****Oh….ok. Well can we talk about it later? I'm kind of busy right now," Phoebe asked.**

**"**Oh, really? Come on, Phoebe, why are you always making things so difficult," Jason spat.

**"**Oh, I make things so difficult? And how exactly do I do that? By being honest with my feelings? And by making you be honest with yours?" she shot.

"Look…just…go to Italy. See your grandfather's winery. We can deal with this when you get back," Phoebe said as the baby woke and began to cry.

**"**You know it's not that simple," Jason answered. The baby began to scream, the shrieks growing louder every minute.

**"**Okay, I really have to go now. I'm sorry," she said and hung up before he could say anything more.

**"**Toss me a vial," she called and Prue tossed her one just as a Manticore shimmered in and smacked Prue, sending her flying across the room. Phoebe managed to vanquish it and rush to her sibling's side

"Prue, are you okay?" she asked. Prue gave a groan as a pair of Manticores shimmered in and sent Phoebe tumbling in the opposite direction. Before either sister could reach for a vial, the creature appeared and vanquished one of the Manticores. He was about to go after the second when it shimmered out, leaving a pool of green-ish blood on the floor. The creature walked over to the playpen and picked up the baby. His cries quieted.

**"**Phoebe, get the vial," Prue called. Phoebe managed to grab one and tossed it at the creature. It hit him in the shoulder and he growled in pain as he disappeared..

**"**So much for our leverage," Phoebe groaned.

Piper continued to try and blow up the door's shield barring her from leaving. She blasted it a few more times before the door sparked. She tentatively reached out and pulled the door open. What she saw next was a shock. It looked like a picture perfect neighborhood out of a magazine. There was a shimmer behind her and the labored breathing of the creature. Piper turned around and looked to see him tuck the baby into bed.

**"**You're okay. It's alright, you're home now," he whispered as Piper looked in on them.

Back in the attic, Phoebe and Prue were trying to reorganize things. Phoebe was squeezing some Manticore blood into an eyedropper while Prue filled more vials.

**"**This better work," Prue muttered.

**"**Oh, it will," Phoebe assured her as Chris and Leo orbed in.

**"**We talked to the Elders and they've all agreed. If we can't return the baby safely back to the Manticores," Leo began.

**"**We'll vanquish it," Chris finished, looking a little too excited about that prospect.

**"****Catch up guys. You're a little late," Prue mumbled.**

**"**What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked.

**"**Well, do you notice anything missing?" Phoebe asked. Both Leo and Chris looked around and over at the playpen to see it empty.

**"**The baby?" Leo offered and the girls nodded.

**"**What happened?" Chris demanded.

**"****Well…**the, uh, beast took him. Right after the Manticores kicked our asses," Prue answered.

**"**This is all Jason's fault," Phoebe groaned.

**"**How's that?" Leo inquired. Phoebe just shook her head at him.

**"**Oh, you're a guy, you wouldn't get it," she grumbled.

**"**Wait, how are you supposed to get Piper back if you don't have the baby anymore?" Chris asked. He sounded a lot more worried than the girls did.

**"**Well, we're going to try to have a little meeting with the Manticores to see if they want to strike some kind of deal," Prue stated.

**"**If we can join forces with them to kill the beast, then they can get their baby back," Phoebe expounded.

**"**And we can get our sister back," Prue added.

**"**And what if they don't want to join forces?" Leo probed.

**"**Well, then we hope we have enough potions to convince them," Prue replied, holding up a vial of potion.

**"**No, no way, it's too risky. As your whitelighter…I forbid you to do it," he said. Prue just rolled her eyes.

"Nice try," Leo whispered in the young whitelighter's ear.

**"**Well, blood is thicker than water," Phoebe muttered as she squired some of the Manticore blood on the crystal and began scrying.

Piper leaned over the creature, pressing a clean rag to his wound. He yelped in pain as she applied more pressure.

**"**Stop moving around and it won't hurt so much. You're just making it more difficult," she scolded. She felt as though she was talking to a small child.

**"**Just leave me alone," the creature growled.

**"**Why? So you can die?" she shot. She paused for a minute and continued to dab at the wound.

"Hey, it's your choice. I'm just saying, if we can't stop this bleeding..." she continued.

**"**Fine. But just hurry up," he snapped.

**"**You're welcome. Who did this to you?" she muttered.

**"**Your sisters," he answered, wincing again.

**"**Oh. Sorry," she apologized.

"Actually, if they used the potion I think they did, you're lucky to be alive. You should have been blown to pieces," she added.

**"**How do you know?" he asked.

**"**Well…because I made it," she answered. S he applied some more pressure to the wound and the creature let out a roar of pain. (The creature roars.) Come on, show a little spine. What kind of demon are you?

**"**I'm not a demon," he spat angrily.

**"**Then what are you?" she pressed.

"I saw a picture of a man in the bedroom," she added. He glared at her.

"Oh, come on, I've been around a lot of demons and they don't usually live in neighborhoods right out of 'Home and Garden'," she finished.

**"**You think this is some sort of hideous curse or something, don't you," he scoffed.

**"**Yeah…pretty much," Piper answered. The creature stood up abruptly and faced her.

** "**Well, then go. I don't need your pity. It's not what happened and that's not who I am. Not anymore, anyway. Just leave us. Go," he shot angrily.

**"**Us? You mean you and your son?" she asked. The creature nodded. She stood up and walked towards him.

"What happened to you?" she pressed. The creature took a deep breath.

**"**Manticores mate with humans to create hybrids…so they can blend in and hide in plain sight," he began.

"They kill their mates after conception but I got away. Ever since all I could think about was saving my son. So he wouldn't have to be raised like them," he continued.

"The only chance I had to do that was to turn myself into this, to become powerful," he concluded.

**"**But then, um, how?" Piper asked, looking confused.

**"**I just started mixing potions using whatever I could steal from them," he started to explained.

"I didn't know what I was doing but I didn't care. All I cared about was finding a way to fight them, to find him. I didn't care what happened to me, I just wanted my son," he finished.

**"**You know they're going to try and take him back," she said softly.

**"**I know," the creature said somberly.

**"**So let's get you fixed up so we can fight them together," Piper stated, extending her hand.

Phoebe had found the Manticores and Prue had astral projected them there. The demons looked up from their meals when they noticed the two witches standing in the cave.

**"**Hey!" Prue called. The Manticores jumped up, starting to advance o Prue and Phoebe.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Phoebe called, as she and Prue held up potion vials.

"I hope we have enough," Prue hissed in Phoebe's ear.

**"**So, who wants to go hunting with us?" Phoebe asked. The Manticores looked at each other before flicking their tongues out in agreement.

Back at the creature's house, Piper appeared in the doorway with a large wet cloth. The creature was sitting in a chair, not looking too good.

**"**This is going to be a little cold," she warned as she pressed it to his bleeding shoulder. She held it there for a while but the bleeding continued.

"Look…the bleeding isn't stopping. I think you should come home with me. We should be able to do more for you there," she said and stood up.

**"**No, I can't," he spat.

**"**If you're worried about my sisters, I'll..." Piper began but he stopped her.

**"**It's not your sisters I'm worried about…it's the Manticores," he interrupted.

"They'll be looking for me there. They'll be looking for him there, too," he added.

**"**But you don't understand. See, we have somebody who can heal you once we turn you back into..." Piper began but he cut her off.

**"**You can't turn me back. No one can. Not unless I die," he spat, turning his back.

**"**So…explain to me how were you planning on raising your son like this?" she asked.

**"****I** wasn't. Not really…," the creature admitted.

"I figured I'd find someone after. All I cared about was saving him. That's exactly what I'm going to keep on doing," he added gruffly. He headed for the door but Piper caught his arm.

**"**You can't run forever, you know. Not for long, not with that. What will you do then? Who will save your son when you're dead?" she pressed.

** "**You have a way with words, you know that?" the creature commented.

**"**I ad-lib a lot," Piper said with a smile just as Prue and Phoebe appeared via astral projection.

**"**Piper, duck!" Phoebe called as she and Prue tossed potions at the creature. She turned around blew them up.

**"****Piper!**What are you doing?" Prue gasped just as two creatures shimmered in and began to attack the creature. Not giving their sister time to answer, Prue grabbed Piper and astral projected back to the Manor. Piper looked around and started to panic.

**"**What the hell are you doing?" Piper demanded.

**"**Saving your life," her older sister commented.

**"**No, you don't understand. We have to go back, hurry!" Piper ordered.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because…they're going to kill him!" she shot.

They reappeared in the creature's house to find him lying motionless on the ground.

** "**Oh, no," Piper gasped, falling to her knees at the creature's side. She glanced over at the bed to see the baby gone. When she looked back the creature had reverted back to his human state.

"We need to get him back to the Manor," Piper said. Prue took hold of everyone and astral projected back to the Manor.

**"**Leo, we need you!" Piper cried out. Leo and Chris orbed in immediately

"Hurry, he's dying," Piper said, ushering Leo towards the couch.

**"**Who is he?' Leo questioned, moving to the couch.

**"**The beast. Heal him, hurry," Phoebe answered, waving her hands at her brother-in-law.

**"**Where's the baby?" Chris asked.

**"****The**manticores have him," Prue replied. She didn't sound as thrilled as Chris had expected.

**"**Oh, so the plan worked? Great," Chris said, sounding pleased.

**"**Yeah, a little too well, unfortunately. They attacked him," Phoebe answered, nodding her head in the direction of the couch.

**"**Yeah, now we just have to get the baby back," Prue added.

**"**What?" Chris asked, looking between the sisters. They couldn't be serious.

**"**Prue, will you go fill up some potion vials, please?" Piper asked, looking at her older sister.

**"**Yeah," Prue answered and headed out of the room.

**"**Lots of them,' she called.

**"**What, hold up. Are you serious?" he asked.

"You finally get rid of the demon child and now you want to risk your lives trying to get it back?" he rasped. The girls nodded. Leo bent over the young man and his hands glowed golden.

**"**He's not a demon child. That's my son," he said firmly.

**"**How are you feeling? Are you alright…no internal bleeding or anything?" Piper asked, sounding motherly.

**"**I can't believe I'm human again," he sighed, sounding relieved.

**"**Aren't you glad you didn't kill me now?" Piper asked with a smirk.

**"**Not funny, I don't think that's funny," Leo said, eying Piper.

**"**Agreed," Chris added.

**"**Oh, what, are you two on like the same team now? Wow that's just weird," Phoebe murmured and turned to the man.

"We're going to get your baby back, I promise," she said sincerely.

**"**Do we not have a say in this?" Chris exclaimed, looking over at Leo.

**"**No, we don't. One thing you have to learn about being their Whitelighter is once they make up their mind, that's it," Leo responded.

"Besides, I'm a father first," he added. Chris just shook his head.

**"**So we're going to have to separate the baby before we attack. You know that, right?" Phoebe said, looking at the man on the couch.

**"**Why?" the man asked, his voice rising slightly in pitch.

**"**Well, because the potion vanquishes Manticores, and your son is half Manticore," she answered seriously. He nodded and took a deep breath.

"Please be careful," he said, placing a hand on her arm. She nodded as Prue returned with the potion vials. Together they transported to the cave. Most of the Manticores were asleep.

**"**I see him," Piper hissed, spotting the infant.

**"**Let's just hope he sees you before they see us," Phoebe gulped.

**"**Should I try to astral project myself over and get him?" Prue asked.

**"**No, he'll probably just shimmer back over and then we'll be in huge trouble. My plan will work," Piper insisted.

**"**Hurry, hurry," Phoebe pressed as Piper handed out the potions.

** "**Peekaboo. You can do it. Come on," she whispered, holding her hands over her eyes. A few of the Manticores looked up.

"Peekaboo. Come on, you can do it," she repeated. The baby giggled and shimmered out of the cave. The infant's disappearance alerted the Manticores. They all looked up and spotted the girls. Two whizzed towards the girls but they were hit with potion vials. The rest of the pack suffered the same fate. As the last scream died down, the baby reappeared, giggling still. The girls rushed forward and Piper picked him up.

"You're okay," she cooed.

"Good job," she praised as they

**"**Ok…so maybe I was wrong about the whole…all demons…even half-demons are bad thing," she said, looking over at Phoebe.

Some time later, Piper walked into the sun room to see the man watching Wyatt and the Manticore baby playing.

**"**Here are some clothes and a stroller," she said, pushing the stroller into the room.

**"**You sure you don't mind?" he asked, looking surprised.

**"**No, not at all. Wyatt's grown out of all of it and I don't see myself having more kids anytime soon, so enjoy,' she said with a wave of her hand to dismiss his concerns.

**"**Thanks. For everything. I'm sorry I kidnapped you," he said with a small laugh.

"I just, I wish there was something I can do for you," he added.

(Prue walks in.)

**"**Well, you could tell us your name," Piper answered.

**"**Sorry?" he asked, looking confused.

"Unless you prefer being called 'the beast'?" she added.

**"**Derek, my name's Derek," he answered.

**"**It's nice to meet you, Derek," Piper said, extending her hand. He shook it.

**"**What about this little guy. What's his name?" she probed.

**"****You know****…**I never gave him one. I honestly never had the chance," he answered, looking embarrassed.

**"**Well, now you do," Piper replied.

**"**Well, I guess I should be going, that is if I can pry him away from Wyatt," he sighed, smiling.

**"**Yeah, good luck," Piper laughed. With a shimmer, the baby was in the stroller, looking up at his father intently.

"Don't be a stranger. They seem to get along great and…Wyatt might be a good influence on him," Piper stated. Derek nodded and they stood in silence for a few minutes.

**"**You know, if you ever need us to bind his powers..." Piper began but he cut her off.

**"**No, thanks, that's really sweet but it's not necessary. Not right now anyways. He's a good boy so it's just up to me to make sure he stays that way," Derek answered with a shake of his head.

**"**In that case he's in good hands," Piper stated with a smile.

"Well, take care," she added, giving the baby a wave.

**"**You too," Derek said and pushed the stroller out of the room. Piper gazed down at Wyatt and couldn't help but smile at him. He laughed and disappeared in orbs, reappearing in his mother's arms.

"Learned a little trick did you?" she teased, sitting down in the rocking chair and holding him close.


	8. Chris Crossed

Chris-Crossed

P3 was crowded as usual as Prue tried to pick her way through towards the bar. She spotted Phoebe and Piper deep in conversation and finally made her way over.

"Sorry I'm late,' she apologized, grabbing a seat next to Phoebe.

"Someone working late again?" Phoebe teased.

"Yeah…I just…lost track of time," Prue answered.

"You really need a man," Phoebe sighed.

"Yeah…that's easier said than done," Prue mumbled

"You'll find someone," Phoebe said, trying to give her sister a supportive smile.

"There's got to be someone out there," Piper piped up.

"Speaking of, what about you missy?" Phoebe asked, nudging Piper in the shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked defensively.

"You and Greg. Come on, spill. Put out any fires lately?" Phoebe pressed.

"Greg…who is Greg?" Prue asked.

"Uh…are you living in the same house as us?" Phoebe laughed. Prue just glared at her.

"Proof positive you spend way too much time in that dark room in the basement," she added.

"Let's see, they've been seeing each other for about three weeks and one of them, and it's not the fireman, is scared to take it to the next level," Phoebe explained.

"I'm not afraid…just…reluctant, that's all," Piper replied.

"Oh come on, Piper. It can't be that hard," Prue stated. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well you weren't the one sleeping with an angel for three years," Piper grumbled.

"I seem to remember you were nervous when you and Leo first started…you know," Phoebe ribbed.

"Yeah…didn't you use to freeze him during all the good parts? Maybe you should…" Prue interjected but Piper cut him off.

"I'm not going to freeze Greg. I'm so nervous I'd probably blow him up," she answered. Prue laughed into her drink. Footsteps sounded behind them and all three turned to see Chris approach.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, stopping on Prue's other side to lean against the bar for a minute.

"Stuff," Phoebe answered.

"Oh…" he muttered and started to walk away.

"Hey, Chris. Why don't you come sit and have a drink, relax," Phoebe called.

"Thanks but I didn't come here to relax," he called.

"That is one bitchy whitelighter," Prue laughed.

"Tell me about it," Piper sighed.

"Why don't you go talk to the walking guilt trip," Phoebe said, nudging Piper. She took a sip of her drink and stood up before heading after Chris.

Chris walked into the back and nearly jumped when he saw Bianca sitting in a chair. He didn't know what to say at first. She was the last person he expected to see here, especially dressed like she was. It made him shudder a little.

"Bianca…I don't understand. What are you doing here?" he whispered. She stood up and walked closer to him.

"I don't have time to explain, not here," she said, running her hand along his chest. He shivered a little at her touch. Before he knew what was happening, she'd plunged her hand into his chest and begun to strip him of his powers. Not two seconds later, Piper walked in.

"You know, all work and no…" she began but stopped when she saw Bianca and Chris.

"Hey!" she shot and flicked her wrists at Bianca. She blew into a million pieces and Chris slid down the wall, breathing heavily.

"Are you ok?" Piper asked, rushing to his side.

"Yeah…I think so," he coughed.

"Who was that?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he answered as she helped him up. She helped him back through the club to grab her sisters and head back to the Manor. In the back alley behind the club, a flurry of ashes swirled and formed Bianca. She glared at the sign above her before shimmering out.

**Back at the Manor, the girls, Chris and Leo are in the attic. Piper and Prue are looking through the Book of Shadows, trying to identify the mark Piper had seen on the demon's wrist.**

**"**Is that the mark?" Prue asked, pointing at a mark.

**"**No, it looked more like a bird," Piper answered. Prue's brow knit together.

**"**A bird. So you're saying maybe the Audubon society sent the demon after us?

**"**Just keep looking," Piper said.

**"**Guys, I'm telling you I'm fine, don't sweat it," Chris tried to convince them.

**"**You're sure she wasn't a Darklighter?" Leo asked.

**"**I'm sure." Piper replied.

**"**What else would be after a Whitelighter?" Phoebe wondered.

**"**I don't know, that's what worries me," Leo sighed.

**"**She's gone. Piper blew her away, what's the big deal?" Chris asked.

**"**The big deal is someone tried to kill you, Chris," Phoebe shot.

**"**Look at me, not a scratch, nothing," he said, trying desperately to get them off the subject.

**"**You know, how did she get that close to you, anyway, if you didn't even know who she was?" Leo asked. Chris took a step towards Leo and the floorboard beneath him squeaked.

**"**You really ought to fix that, you know," he muttered.

**"**Come on, Chris, who's after you?" Leo pressed.

**"**Has it crossed your mind that maybe she wasn't after me? Maybe she was trying to get to them," Chris shot.

**"**It would make sense. It's not the first time a demon would go after a whitelighter to get to their charges," Prue said.

**"**Finally, somebody's listening. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to take care of," he said and left the room.

**"**He's not telling the truth," Leo said.

**"**Leo, maybe there's nothing to tell," Prue suggested.

**"**Could you sense anything?" Leo questioned, looking over at Phoebe.

**"**From Chris? No, I can never sense anything from him," she answered.

**"**What are you thinking?" Piper asked of her ex-husband.

**"**I'm thinking that if we can figure out who she was, we might be able to find out who Chris is," he stated.

**"**Well, we're not going to find it in here. At least not until we have more to go on. So guys, you know where I'm going be if you need me," Prue said, shutting the book.

**"**Yeah, I should go too," Phoebe agreed and followed Prue.

**"**Wait, you're just going to let them go?" Leo demanded, looking at Piper.

**Piper: "**What do you want me to say? They have lives too. Besides, what more can we do?" Piper answered.

**"**We can try to figure out who the demon is and make sure nobody else is after Chris," Leo responded just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. You just keep checking on the book, okay?" he said and disappeared.

**"**No, Leo, really, I'd rather you..." she began but she was too late. Downstairs, Leo rematerialized and opened the door to see Greg standing on the other side.

**"**Can I help you?" Leo asked.

**"**Uh, yeah, is Piper home?" Greg asked.

**"****W**ho's asking?" Leo replied defensively.

**"**I'm Greg, she's expecting me," he said. Just then Piper walked down the stairs with a purse on her arm.

**"**Uh, Leo, I got it. Sorry, I'm running a little late," she said and gave Greg a quick peck on the cheek.

**"**Leo? Is he your, uh..." Greg began and Piper nodded.

**"**Yeah, one in the same," she replied.

"Leo, Greg, Greg, Leo," she added, gesturing between them as they shook hands.

**"**Nice to finally meet you," Greg said politely.

**"**Thanks. Finally," Leo agreed, none too pleased.

**"**So you're going to be okay taking care of everything? Wyatt and Chris?" she asked.

**"****Y**eah, absolutely. Really, everything will be fine. If anything comes up I'll call you," he told her.

**"**Okay, thanks, good night," she called as she and Greg walked out of the house, closing the door behind them.

In the bathroom, Chris is leaning on the edge of the sink before he slowly opens the top few buttons on his shirt. He stares at the wound for a minute in the mirror before pulling a ring from his pocket. He is pulled into a memory.

In the future, he and Bianca sat in the ruins of a park on a solitary bench. He pulled something from his pocket and looked at her lovingly.

**"**Will you marry me?" he asked, holding up a ring and slipping it on her finger.

**"**You're asking me now?" Bianca rasped.

**"**Yes," Chris answered.

**"**Here?" she asked, looking around at how destroyed the park is.

**"**This is still our spot, Bianca. No matter what he's done to it," Chris murmured. He took her hand in his.

"Marry me," he repeated.

**"**On one condition. You come back to me, safely," she said. He nodded.

**"**Have I ever let you down before?" he asked.

**"**What's that?" Bianca asked as a flying object began to scan Bianca's eyes. Chris sent it flying telekinetically into the wall and it smashed.

**"**Are you okay?" he asked.

**"**Yeah. I don't think it had time to transmit," she answered, catching her breath.

**"**I can not believe he's sending probes after us now. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," Chris ground out.

**"**No, no you're not. You're gonna stick to the plan," she said.

**"**But he knows," Chris protested.

**"**If he knew he wouldn't have sent the probe. You have to go back, Chris. It's the only way to stop them. It's the only way to change all this," she said.

Chris was drawn back from the memory and sighed as he put the ring back in his pocket. The next morning, Leo sat with Wyatt in his lap, looking through the Book. He'd called Prue and gotten her voicemail but he heard footsteps coming up from the basement. She walked into the kitchen in the same clothes she'd be in the day before.

"Were you downstairs the whole night?" he asked.

"Yeah…I have a lot of work to do. What's the emergency?" she asked, grabbing some coffee.

**"**What would you say if I told you whoever attacked Chris was called a Phoenix?" he asked. She took a sip of coffee.

**"**I'd probably ask you what a Phoenix was and you would tell me like the oh-so knowledge Elder you are," Prue answered cheekily.

**"****Well, **they are a family of assassin witches who are very elite, very powerful and who were born with a distinct birthmark symbolizing the rise from Salem's ashes," he said, turning the book so she could see the entry.

**"**Well, does the book say what they want?" Prue asked through a yawn.

**"**Just whatever bounty they're after, which in this case is Chris. Which means they're still after him. They won't stop until they succeed," he sighed. Prue nodded in understanding.

**"**Did you call Phoebe and Piper?" she asked.

**"**No, Phoebe's at work and Piper came in kind of late so I didn't want to disturb her," he answered, bouncing Wyatt in his lap.

**"**Oh. Did she, um, come home alone?" Prue asked. How sad she had to ask her brother-in-law who didn't live in the house anymore for news on her sister.

**"**I don't know," Leo answered just as Piper walked in.

**"**Hey. Talking about me?" she asked. Leo jumped up and handed Wyatt to her.

**"**Morning, hi, no," he rambled.

"Wyatt's been fed and I'm going to get some coffee and Prue will fill you in," he said and left the room. Piper just watched him go in confusion.

**"****W**hat's going on?" she asked, looking at Prue.

"And why are you in yesterday's clothes?" she added.

"Worked late," Prue muttered.

**"****Anyways,** Leo just found out that a coven of assassin witches called the Phoenix are after Chris," she replied, pouring her sister a cup of coffee.

**"**So that's what you guys were talking about?" Piper asked, setting Wyatt down in his high chair for a minute.

**"At first. And then I asked if he knew if you'd come home….alone," Prue muttered into the edge of her coffee cup.**

**"**And why would he know? He doesn't live here….you're so out of touch," Piper sighed.

**"**Did you?" Prue pressed.

**"**Actually…no," Piper admitted.

**"**I'm sorry. Maybe he's not the right guy?" Prue offered, nodding her head in Leo's direction to try and make a point.

**"**No, it's not Greg, it's just me. It's just weird now that I'm a Nom, I feel like I'm betraying Wyatt some how," she muttered.

**"**I think you're just betraying yourself," Prue commented.

**"**Yeah, I know, it's just weird. So, uh, coven of assassin witches?" Piper said, changing the subject.

**"**Yeah," Prue answered.

**"**Maybe we should call Phoebe," she suggested.

**"**No, I think we can do this by ourselves, I don't think you have to bother her." Prue answered.

**"**Well, what if we need the power of three after we find them?

**"**Well, you didn't need the power of three to blow up the last one," Prue reminded her.

**"**No, but..." Piper began. Was Prue going on one of her Super Witch kicks again?

**"**So we need to try and be flexible. Our powers have grown since we first got them and I think the power of two will be strong enough. I'm going to get a scrying crystal to see if we can find this witch," Prue said and headed for the attic..

At the Bay Mirror, Phoebe is sitting at her desk when Elise walked in. She is not surprised to see Phoebe there but there is some disappointment in her eyes.

**"**Phoebe, I offered you the time off. Take it. Go see Jason in Hong Kong," Elise said firmly.

**"**It's just another airport, another city," Phoebe sighed.

**"**You could always send in the column. Email, fax machine. It's the twenty-first century and I'd like to welcome you to it," she said only half joking.

"When I say take time, I don't mean a vacation. Go live there for a while, give it a shot," she said.

**"**Elise, I..." Phoebe began.

**"**No, I want you to listen to me. It's time I gave you some advice for once. Don't let it be work," Elise interrupted.

**"**What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. Elise took a deep breath.

**"**There's a whole generation of women out there who followed the dream, built successful careers, but at the expense of everything else," she began.

"Now I'm not saying I think they all made mistakes because some of them are very happy. But some of us aren't. Trust me, you don't want to wake up one day and realize that all you've got is your career," she finished and walked out.

In an apartment complex downtown, Piper and Prue approached a door. They knocked and it was pulled open a few inches by a blond woman.

**"**Hi, how's it going?" Piper greeted.

**"**Can I help you?" the woman asked, the door still mostly closed.

**"**Hopefully," Piper said with a smile.

**"**Yeah, see, we just moved in from out of state and we wanted to get to know our neighbors," Prue explained.

**"**Oh, well, welcome. Where did you move from?" the woman asked with a smile.

**"**Phoenix," Piper answered.

**"**Really. Well, come in," she said and pulled the door open to allow them in.

**"Thanks," Prue said as they walked in. Neither of them noticed the woman lock the door behind them.**

**"**Wow, nice place," Piper commented.

**"**Yeah, real nice," Prue agreed.

**"**Thank you," she said and a little girl ran into the room.

** "**Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, can you play with me?" the child asked, tugging on her mother's sleeve.

**"**Bianca, sweetie, can you give Mommy a minute, okay?" the woman asked of the little girl. Piper and Prue noticed the red birthmark on the girl's wrist.

**"**Okay," little Bianca said.

**"**Go and play with your toys. I'll be right in, okay?" she said and the little girl ran off.

**"**Now what?" Prue hissed in Piper's ear. The woman turned around and threw an energy ball at the girls. It flew past them and collided with the wall. Piper flicked her wrists and the woman blew up.

**"**The kid," Piper gasped and the rushed into the little girl's room. Before their eyes the woman reformed and picked up the little girl.

**"**Hurry, Bianca," she said and they shimmered out.

**"**They can reform?" Prue asked.

**"**Apparently, which means the one that attacked Chris can too," Piper said.

In the same park where Chris would propose to Bianca in the future, Chris' orbs slowly form and land on the bench. He tried to catch his breath.

**"**You really shouldn't try to orb anymore, you know. It could kill you," she said, moving from behind a statue.

**"**Is that what you want?" Chris coughed.

**"**If that's what I wanted you'd already be dead. All I want is to bring you back," she stated.

**"**How'd you know I'd be here?" he asked weakly.

**"**Same reason you'd know I'd be waiting here. This is still our spot, isn't it?" she responded but he shook his head.

**"**No. This is what we hoped it would be. This is what we were trying to preserve for our future. Do you remember that?" he shot angrily.

**"**We were naive to think we could change anything, to stop him," she said.

**"**You don't believe that. Or at least you didn't," he sniffed.

**"**Well, I do now," she answered.

**"**What happened to you, Bianca? How did he turn you back?" he asked, clearly in pain.

**"**That's not important. What is important is I was interrupted in stripping you of your powers. And if I don't finish what I started, you'll die soon. Think of it as an infection, and I'm the only one with the antidote," she explained.

**"**Here or there, I am dead anyway," he shot at her.

**"**No. He gave me his word he wouldn't hurt you. Please, Chris, don't make this any harder than it has to be," Bianca begged but Chris slowly orbed out before Bianca could catch him.

At the Manor, the girls and Leo are gathered in the conservatory. Phoebe looked at her sisters in shock.

**"**Wait, how old is the little girl?" Phoebe asked.

**"**I don't know, four, five?" Piper replied just as Chris orbed in and collapsed on the floor.

**"**Chris!" Prue yelled.

**"**Bianca," Chris rasped before falling unconscious.

**Leo rushed to the young man's side and lifted him up. He hastily carried him to the couch in the next room and until the top few buttons on his shirt to reveal the large wound Bianca left.**

**"**Oh my god, what is that?" Phoebe gasped, staring at the wound in his chest.

**"**I don't know," Leo replied.

**"**It doesn't matter, just heal him," Piper snapped. Leo leaned over Chris and began to heal him.

(Leo starts to heal Chris.)

**"**Why didn't he tell us about that?" Prue wondered.

**"**Why doesn't he tell us about a lot of things?" Piper muttered. She caught Leo frowning.

"What's the problem?" she asked.

**"**He's not healing. Something's draining his powers and blocking mine. It's like a virus," Leo explained.

**"**A virus named Bianca," Piper grumbled.

**"**You think she did this?" Phoebe asked.

**"**It has to be her," Piper answered.

**"**Yeah, but it doesn't explain why she would come back from the future just to kill him," Prue sighed.

**"**Well, somebody had to have sent her, she's a hired gun," Piper stated.

**"**Well, we have to find her to save him. Figure out what she did..." Phoebe began but was it with a powerful empathic jolt.

"Whoa," she gasped.

**"**What is it?" Leo asked. Phoebe moved closer to Chris.

**"**Oh my god, he loves her," she breathed.

**"**Loves who? Bianca?" Prue asked, looking skeptical.

**"**Yeah. She broke his heart," phoebe answered and noticed Chris moving something between his fingers. She gently opened his hand to find Bianca's ring.

"Engagement ring," she stated.

**"**Obviously an acrimonious split," Prue muttered.

**"**Well, at least we have something to scry for her now. You guys work on the vanquishing potion in case she's not in the mood to help," Piper ordered.

**"**Bianca. Bianca," Chris murmured.

In the future, a tour guide began a tour of the first floor of the Manor. She turned to the assembled crowd and began to speak.

**"**Welcome to the Halliwell memorial museum. A tribute to magic and of course, the Charmed Ones. Please remember there is no digi-capturing, no holographing and most certainly no magic allowed while inside the museum. That's a big one," she said, laying down the rules.

"Don't worry about those probes, folks, they're merely scanning for witches. Now, as we pass through the foyer, note the family portraits hanging on the walls," she added.

As the tour wandered through the house, Chris and Bianca followed them. Chris managed to deflect the probes so they wouldn't sense his or Bianca's magic.

**"**Nicely done," she commented in a whisper.

**"**Around here you'll notice just a few of the many mythological creatures the legendary sisters transformed into in their demon fighting heyday," the tour guide continued.

"Actually, the Charmed Ones were responsible for well over a thousand demon vanquishes before they were finally vanquished themselves," she added.

"Okay, let's head over to the kitchen where many of the sisters' classic potions were brewed. Some of which are available from purchase in the gift shop on the way out," she said, leading the group towards the kitchen. She continued her talk about how the next stop was the attic where the Book of Shadows was kept. Chris and Bianca lagged behind as the group headed for the stairs. Their lingering presence alerted a guard and he shimmered in.

**"**Hey, you two, move along," the guard ordered.

**"**Wait for it," she said and the guard moved closer to them. Bianca summoned an athame in her hand.

**"**Are you deaf? I said..." the guard began but Bianca vanquished him. She walked over to the basement door and opened it.

**"**Come on," she whispered and they headed down the stairs.

**"**We should be safe here until the museum closes. Then we'll go get the book," she said softly.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking at Chris.

**"**Nothing. It's just sometimes I forget who you really are," he muttered.

**"**Hey," she breathed, pulling him closer.

"You mean who I used to be, Chris. Before I met you," she concluded.

**"**So what do we do now?" he asked.

**"**We say goodbye," she whispered seductively, unzipping her shirt and tossing it on the ground before kissing him.

**In the present, Bianca tossed pottery and furniture aside in a feverish hunt through the woman's apartment. **

**"**Who are you and what do you want? the woman asked as Bianca began to tear apart the cupboard.

**"**Where's the Grimoire?" Bianca demanded angrily. The woman created an energy ball and held it in her palm.

**"**One more time. Who are you?" she shot.

**"**Who do you think I am?" Bianca asked, holding up her wrist to display the Phoenix birthmark.

"Mother," she said.

**"**Bianca," she gasped and the energy ball instantly disappeared.

**"**In the flesh. Now where's the Grimoire?" Bianca demanded.

"I have to get the Charmed Ones off my tail fast, I need a spell to do it," she clarified.

**"**I don't understand, how is this possible?" her mother rambled.

**"**Look, I don't have time for reunions, okay? And I'm not about to make the same mistake a thousand other demons have made. Now where's the damn book!" she demanded. Bianca's mother waved her hand and the book appeared on the table.

"Thanks," Bianca said and picked it up.

"Do you know where the inhibition spell is?" she asked.

**"**How is that going to help?" she asked.

**"**Look, I know the Charmed Ones, I studied their history. This is when they all want their separate lives. If I can release their inhibitions, maybe I can get them to pursue them," she rambled irritably.

**"**The spell won't last long," Bianca's mother told her.

**"**It doesn't have to. Just long enough to distract them so I can get what I came for," Bianca explained. She tore the page from the book.

"Got it. Thanks," she said and began to walk away.

**"**Wait, do you have to leave so soon? Can't I help?" her mother asked.

**"**Yeah. Someday when I ask you what it feels like to kill, don't lie to me. Don't tell me you don't feel a thing," she spat and shimmered out.

Back at the Manor, Leo is tending to Chris while the sisters scried for Bianca. He dabs the young Whitelighter's forehead with a towel.

**"**Hang in there, buddy," he whispered.

**"**We found Bianca, she's at her mother's," Piper announced.

**"**Little Bianca?" Leo questioned.

**"**No, the one we want. Here, something for Chris to remember her by. Or not," she answered, handing Leo the ring.

**"****We've ****g**ot the vanquishing potion so after we get there, I'm going to..." Prue began but a blue light washed over her and her sisters.

**"**You're going to what?" Leo asked.

**"**I'm going to move out of the Manor," Prue answered dreamily.

**"**Are you? Good for you," Piper said in the same tone.

**"**That's a great idea. And I think I'm going to see what's going on in Hong Kong and move in with Jason," Phoebe said.

**"**Hang on a second, this isn't you guys. You must be under some kind of spell, you have to fight this," he said, his Whitelighter instincts kicking in.

**"**How can you fight your heart?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Or your hormones," Piper added with a giggle. Phoebe turned to Prue.

**"**Would you mind astral projecting me to Hong Kong?" she asked.

**"**I would love to," Prue answered.

**"**Prue, Phoebe, listen to me," he ordered.

**"**Zay jen," Phoebe said with a wave and Prue astral projected them out of the Manor. She reappeared moments later and headed out the front door. Piper walked out of the room.

**"**What do I tell them?" Chris mumbled in his sleep.

In his memory, he and Bianca walked into the attic after the museum closed and Bianca shut the door. She turned to Chris and fixed him with a firm stare.

**"**Don't tell them anything. Just stick to your cover story. The less they know about the future, the better," she reminded him.

**"**But what if they find out who I really am?" he asked.

**"**They won't. Not as long as you can pass yourself off as their Whitelighter," she replied.

**"**And you're sure I won't lose my powers when I go back?" he asked nervously.

**"**Not with this spell, that's why we need it. Look, just remember, protect baby Wyatt and you protect the Charmed Ones. Keep them alive for our future," she explained.

**"**Great. No pressure there," he laughed weakly.

**"**Chris, you know you're the only one who can do this. You're the only one who can save us," she whispered.

**"**If I make it back," he muttered.

**"**Baby, you have to make it back. If you want to marry me," she said with a smile. She leaned in and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her before they pulled apart.

**"**You really know how to motivate a guy, you know that?" he laughed. They walked over to the holograph of the Book of Shadows. He ran a hand through it.

**"**You sure you can summon the real book?" she asked, looking at him and he nodded.

**"**Yeah" he answered, sounding fairly sure of himself.

**"**Away from him?" she rephrased and he nodded again.

**"**Yeah. But we won't have much time once it gets here. His demons will be all over us," he expounded.

**"**I won't need much time. Just long enough to send you back to them," she answered. She walked over to the wall and began drawing with a piece of chalk.

In the present, Leo is still keeping watch over Chris. Chris is still lying on the couch, covered in cold sweat.

**"**Hurry, before he finds us," he mumbled in his delirium.

**"**Prue, Phoebe, get back here right now, that's an order," Leo boomed. Just then Piper walked in, dressed for a date.

**"**Wyatt's sleeping and the monitor's in the kitchen," she said, pulling on her jacket.

**"**Piper, but you can't go anywhere. What about Chris?" Leo asked.

**"**Wish me luck," she said with waved goodbye before walking out the front door.

As soon as Piper left, Bianca shimmered in and caught Leo off guard. She landed a kick to his head and knocked him unconscious. She walked over to the still delirious Chris and bent over him.

**"**Come on, we're going home," she said and shimmered both of them out of the Manor.

At the fire station, Piper and Greg were lying atop a fire engine beneath a blanket making out. Their clothes were strewn at their feet.

**"**Wait, hold it," Greg said, holding a hand up.

**"**Why?" Piper asked.

**"**Because I just want make sure that you're sure about this," he answered.

**"**What's the matter? Am I not acting sure?" she asked and he nodded.

**"**Yeah, it's just that, well, you've been a little reluctant until now, and I guess I'm just curious why the change," he rambled.

**"**Um, who knows? Who cares? All I know is I want…" she began until Leo orbed in.

"Oh my god!" she shrieked and froze Greg.

"What, are you out of your mind? What are you, a peeping Elder now?" she demanded right before Leo threw a potion at her. She looked around confused.

"What's going on? What am I doing here? Um, what are you doing here?" she babbled.

**"**Counteracting a spell that Bianca apparently cast on you," he answered.

**"**What kind of spell?" she asked, embarrassed.

**"**One that lowers your inhibitions," he replied. Piper laughed weakly.

**"**Oh, boy," she gasped.

**"**Yeah," Leo agreed.

**"**So did she get Chris?" Piper asked, trying to be serious.

**"**Yeah, and I'm hoping that if we can break the spell on Phoebe and Prue, we might be able to get Chris back," Leo explained.

**"**Right, uh-huh, okay, so let's go," she said before reaching for her clothes.

"Um, you need to turn around because you don't get to see anymore," she said and he slowly turned around.

They headed to the apartment complex that Prue had said she'd seen ads for and counteracted the spell on her.

"Come on, we need to get Phoebe or else we're never going to get Chris," Piper said, dragging her sister along.

Bianca leaned over Chris' cold body. His face was dripping with sweat as she stuck her hand back into the wound in his chest. She had brought him back to her mother's apartment.

**"**Just let me finish what I started. You'll feel better soon, I promise," she breathed, finishing stripping him of his powers.

"That's it. Easy does it. Slow breaths," she said as she pulled her hand from his chest.

**"**What'd you do to me?" he asked, trying to sit up.

**"**I just saved your life," she answered.

**"**By taking away my powers?" he asked. She walked over to the wall and tossed a painting on the floor, the glass shattering on impact. She began to draw with a piece of calk.

"How are you going to bring me back anyways? That spell is a one way door to the past," he continued

**"**He created a new spell because of you. One that works both ways," she answered, continuing to draw.

**"**I'm touched," Chris spat.

**"**You should be. He's gone to a lot of trouble to get you back," she replied.

**"**Yeah, I see that," Chris muttered.

**"**You know, you don't have to believe me, Chris, but this really is for the best," she sighed, looking at him.

**"**Oh, really? How's that?" he shot back.

**"**Because this is your only chance to live," she answered.

"If I fail, he'll just keep sending more assassins back and all they'll have to bring home is a body," she added sharply.

**"**Doesn't matter. There's nothing left in the future anymore, anyway," he spat and tossed the engagement ring on the table and leaned back on the couch.

His mind drifted to the last time he'd gone through one of these portals. He and Bianca stood in the attic as she finished drawing on the wall.

**"**It's time," she whispered.

**"**I don't want go. I don't want leave you," he said, pulling her close.

**"**Here..." she began and pulled off the ring.

"This will remind you of why we're doing this, what's waiting for you here," she said and they embraced.

**"**Just make sure you take care of the guards, okay? Then get out of here. Because if he finds you, if he knows you betrayed him, he'll kill you," he said, emotion tugging at his tone of voice.

**"**Don't worry. I can take care of myself," she promised. They walked over to the hologram of the Book of Shadows and Chris pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and started to read.

**"**I call upon the ancient power, to help us in this darkest hour, let the book return to this place, claim refuge in its rightful space," he read from the small piece of paper. Before their eyes the real Book of Shadows appeared on the pedestal.

"It worked," he said. He couldn't believe he'd been able to get it away from Wyatt.

**"**The spell, find the spell," she urged. He began to flip through the pages until he found it.

"Hear these words, hear the rhyme, heed the hope within my mind, send me back to where I'll find, what I wish in place and time," he recited from the book. A portal appeared on the wall within the margins of the triquetra. Almost instantly demons shimmer in and grab Bianca.

"Bianca!" Chris yelled but Bianca began to fight them off.

**"**Go!" Bianca yelled, continuing to fight the demons off so Chris could walk through the portal.

Back in the present, Bianca had begun to draw the triquetra on the wall while Chris sat on the couch, glaring at her.

**"**You really expect me to jump into this thing like before?" he asked her, sitting on the couch.

**"**Not without a fight, no," she answered.

**"**How can you be so cold? How can you just stand there and pretend like we never meant anything to each other?" he asked, sounding immensely hurt by her actions.

**"**I don't have a choice," she said.

**"**Bianca, please don't do this. Don't give up on everything that we fought for," he begged.

**"**I'm not. I'm just hoping we can find another way. Ready?" she answered just as piper, Phoebe and Prue astral projected into the room.

**"**Hey, future girl," Piper called. Piper threw one of the vials at Bianca and she responded with an athame. The athame and vial collided and the vial shattered. Bianca shimmered out just as Piper managed to freeze the athame. Almost instantly, Bianca reappeared and plucked the blade from the air, pressing it to Piper's throat.

**"**You were saying?" Bianca said coolly.

**"**Wow, she is good," Phoebe commented. Prue moved towards Piper but Bianca stopped her with a glare.

**"**I can kill her in half the time it takes you to even think about it," she hissed, the athame pressed close to Piper's throat.

**"**Yeah, we still have enough potions to vanquish you," Prue shot back.

**"**Maybe. But then you really will have to hope the power of two will do. Won't you, Prue?" she shot. Prue's eyes widened.

"You'd be surprised what's in the history books. Now put the vials down slowly," she ordered.

**"**Bianca, don't. Let her go and I promise I'll go with you.

**"**Chris, what are you doing?" Prue asked.

**"**If you kill her, there won't be a future for either one of us to go back to and you know it," he said, begging her to stop.

**"**What are you talking about?" Phoebe demanded.

**"**You'll see if you live long enough," Bianca spat, leading Chris towards the wall.

**"**Piper, freeze them," Prue yelled. Piper tried but failed on both accounts.

**"**Uh, okay, I get why she didn't freeze but why didn't he freeze?" she asked.

**"**I don't know- Unless he's a..." Phoebe rambled.

**"**I'm a witch too," he filled in for her.

"That's right. Part witch, part Whitelighter. Just like Wyatt," he said.

**"**You lied to us?" Prue gasped.

**"**I had to. It was the only way I could get you to trust me," he explained.

**"**Trust you?" Phoebe shot.

**"**Never mind, it doesn't matter anyway," he said.

**"**So that's it? You're just going to leave?" Piper demanded angrily.

**"**I don't have a choice," Chris said helplessly.

"She stripped my powers. Looks like Leo's going to have to fix that floorboard without me," he sighed and looked at Bianca.

"Let's go," he said. She waved her hand at the portal and it opened. Together they stepped through, leaving the Charmed Ones to stand there dumbfounded.

The portal opened on the other side and Chris and Bianca walk out. They are in the attic in the future that Chris had just left. A horde of demons stood waiting for them.

**"**Welcome home, Chris," a voice said from behind the mass of demons. The group parted and a figure walked into view.

**"**Hello, Wyatt.

Back in the present, the sisters and Leo were in the attic, attempting to devise a way to save Chris. Phoebe was flipping through the Book of Shadows without much luck.

**"**There has to be a spell in here somewhere," Phoebe said, growing irritated.

**"**To take us to the future? I don't think so. We tried to write one before," Prue said.

**"**Bianca's a witch, she could do it," Phoebe said.

"How could she do it?" she continued.

**"**We don't know how," Prue groaned.

**"**How did we do it five years ago?" Piper wondered aloud.

**"**The Elders made that happen, remember?" he said. A look of enlightenment dawned on all three of their faces.

**"**Well, you're an Elder, make it happen," Piper ordered. He gave her a look.

**"**That was a unique situation," he said.

**"**This isn't?" Prue demanded.

**"**Hey, I don't like this either, don't you think I want to save him too?" he shot back defensively.

**"**I don't know if I want to save him or kick his ass," Phoebe grumbled.

**"**That still doesn't change all the good he's done," Leo stated.

**"**You're certainly singing a different tune. You've come a long way," Prue joked.

**"**Okay, despite all his secrets, I still believe that he came back to protect Wyatt and that is enough for me to want to save him," Leo explained.

**"**The question is, how?" Piper sighed as Leo stepped on the squeaky board. Her eyes lit up.

"Leo," she said.

**"**What?" Leo asked.

"'Fix the floorboard'," Phoebe recited.

**"**Maybe he was trying to tell us something," Prue suggested.

**"**Who, what?" Leo asked, looking confused.

**"**Maybe. Maybe that's where Bianca was taking him," Piper began.

"To the attic in the future," she concluded.

**"**But that would still be there in the future, wouldn't it?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Yeah, unless we fixed it," Prue said, starting to get excited.

**"**Or used it to send him something, something that he needed," Piper said, wringing her hands, trying to get her thoughts out.

**"**Like what?" Phoebe asked.

**"**His powers," Prue answered.

The attic in the future was much dark as the figure moved towards Chris. He stepped into view to reveal Wyatt.

**"**They're no threat to me," Wyatt said and the demons shimmered out.

"Et tu, Chris? Of all the people to betray me," Wyatt hissed.

**"**I didn't go back to betray you, Wyatt. I went back to save you," Chris answered.

**"**Save me? From what?" Wyatt laughed.

**"**From whatever evil it was that turned you," Chris shot.

**"**That's always been your problem, Chris. Stuck in the old good versus evil morass. I'm so past that. It's all about power, it's as simple as that," Wyatt said, beginning to pace.

**"**And whoever has the most power wins, is that it?" Chris asked. Wyatt nodded.

**"**That's it. That's why I keep this museum in tact. To remind everyone the power from which I was born and that which I possess," he explained but Chris already knew all of this.

**"**Too bad the rest of the city isn't fairing as well as your little shrine here," Chris spat angrily.

**"**You know if anyone else tried what you tried, I'd kill them on the spot. But you..." Wyatt began.

"I've forgiven Bianca, I can forgive you too. If you promise never cross me again," he finished.

**"**I think you know me better than that," Chris shot.

**"**I thought you said you could talk some sense into him," Wyatt snapped.

**"**Leave her out of this," Chris shoute4d. Wyatt raised a fist and Christ began to choke. He fell to his knees and clutched at his throat.

**"**Pardon me?" Wyatt hissed. He flicked his wrist and sent Chris flying across the attic.

In the present, Prue was feverishly writing a spell while her sisters watched anxiously. They needed to get Chris his powers back.

**"**Hurry, hurry, hurry," Phoebe said, wringing her hands.

**"**I'm trying, I'm trying," Prue said, writing as fast as she could. She tore the piece of paper off and handed it to Phoebe. She rolled it up and handed it off to Piper as if they were in a marathon.

**"**There you go," Phoebe said. Leo lifted the floorboard and Piper tossed the paper under it.

"Put it back," Phoebe urged and Leo did so.

Back in the future, Wyatt sent Chris flying into another table. He let out a groan but didn't move.

**"**You promised you wouldn't hurt him," Bianca cried out.

**"****And**you promised you'd turn him. Just like I turned you, or at least I thought I had," Wyatt spat. Bianca ran towards Chris and fell to her knees beside him.

**"**Chris, please, I didn't bring you here to die," Bianca begged.

**"**Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," he whispered as Wyatt stepped on the squeaky floorboard.

"I think," he gulped and ran towards Wyatt. Wyatt grabbed him and threw across the room, sending him crashing into a table.

**"**Have you lost your mind?" Wyatt spat, levitating Chris into the air.

"I don't need you," he hissed and formed an energy ball. Before he could throw it Bianca snuck up behind him and plunged her hand into his back. Chris dropped to the floor immediately.

**"**Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. I can't hold him for long," she said, trying to hold Wyatt at bay. Chris raced to the squeaky floorboard and pulled it up to retrieve the spell. He covered the floorboard up again and began to read.

"Powers of witches rise, come to me across the skies, return my magic, give me back, all those taken from the attack." (A blue light washes over Chris. Wyatt turns around and kicks Bianca. She lands on a broken table leg.) No! (Chris waves his arm and Wyatt is thrown across the room. Chris rushes to Bianca's side.) Bianca. No, no, no, no.

**"**Haven't we been here before?" she asked in pain.

**"**Maybe we will be again," Chris sniffled.

"Maybe," she coughed.

"No," he sobbed as she pushed the engagement ring back into his hand.

"If you can finish what we started," she began, fighting for every breath. Nearby Wyatt let out a groan.

"Hurry. Take the spell so he can't send anyone else," she breathed.

"Go," she coughed. Chris ran towards the Book of Shadows as Wyatt slowly came to and stood up. Chris flipped through the book until he found the spell.

"Hear these words, hear the rhyme, heed the hope within my mind," he began to chant. Wyatt formed an energy ball and threw it directly at Chris' head. He managed to duck just in time.

"Send me back to where I'll find, what I wish in place and time," he finished. The portal opened on the wall and grabbed the spell from the book, Chris dove in. He landed in the present with a loud 'thump' on the floor.

**"**Oh my god, are you okay?" Prue asked.

**"**Yeah, I'm fine," Chris answered as he stood up.

"Nice spell," he added.

**"**Yeah, but we just put it in there like two seconds ago," Phoebe said.

**"**Yeah, well, you see, the way time travel works..." Leo began but Phoebe shook her head.

**"**Yeah, I don't wanna know, I already have a little headache. Thanks," she said, waving her hand for him to stop.

**"**You have some serious explaining to do, young man," Piper said firmly. Chris looked guilty at his hands.

**"**I know. Listen, I'm sorry I lied to you. I really am, but..." he began but Piper cut him off.

**"**No, no buts. It's about time you tell us the truth, now," Piper interrupted.

**"**I can't. But not because I don't want to," he began.

"It's because there's only so much I can tell you without the future being changed too much," he explained.

**"**Um, isn't that your whole point? To come and change the future?" Prue asked, looking a little confused.

**"**Yeah. But that was supposed to be more like a surgical strike," he explained.

**"**To save Wyatt," Leo stated.

**"**To save Wyatt," Chris repeated.

**"**What about Bianca?" Phoebe asked nervously. She wasn't sure he would want to talk about her.

**"**Bianca won't be a threat to anyone anymore," he answered, looking at the floor.

**"**I'm sorry." Phoebe said, giving him a sympathetic look.

**"**Me too. So you guys still alright with me hanging around here?" he asked, hands shoved in his pockets.

**"**Absolutely. But, the next time you're in trouble you have to tell us," Leo answered.

"Trust works both ways," he added.

**"**Okay," Chris said and left the room. He walked by Piper's room and stopped. He walked to the doorway and leaned on the doorframe.

**"**If I can't save you, I swear to god I'll stop you," Chris murmured before walking away, leaving Wyatt to hang on to the edge of his playpen.

**A little while later, Prue and Phoebe found themselves sitting in the dining room.**

**"**Hey," Phoebe greeted as Piper walked in. She looked over at Prue.

**"**Hey," Piper said.

**"**What's going on?" Phoebe asked as Piper sat down at the head of the table.

**"**Uh, well, I've been thinking," Piper began.

**"**Uh-oh," Prue murmured.

**"**I think it's time we make some changes around here," Piper said.

**"**What kind of changes?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Like I think you should move to Hong Kong with Jason, and you should move out on your own," Piper expounded.

**"**I never said I wanted that," Prue retorted.

**"**You didn't have to, the spell did that for you. And you too," she said, looking over at Phoebe.

**"**Well, we can't leave you alone, we have to stick together," Phoebe countered.

** "**No, I know, believe me, I know. But you can't keep sacrificing your lives forever and neither can I. Mom did that and Grams did it. And look what happened to them. It's not a legacy I want us to inherit," Piper explained.

**"**What if it doesn't work out, us going our separate ways? I mean we have tried it…when you and Leo tried to move out after your wedding," Prue stated.

**"**Well, we'll worry about it then," she replied.

**"**You sure about this?" Phoebe asked, looking surprised.

**"**Yeah, I am," Piper answered.


	9. Witchstock

Witchstock

Chris paced back in forth in front of Piper inside the warehouse. He was not happy that Prue had not showed up yet.

**"**She's supposed to be here by now," he grumbled.

**"**So, she's a little late," Piper muttered.

**"**No, she's a lot late. Prue used to be the first one to a vanquish. What's wrong with her?" Chris replied.

**"**She's working…a lot. She is really dedicated to that. That can't be wrong," Piper answered.

**"**It is when it interferes with her responsibilities as a Charmed One. I would have thought she'd be the first one to realize that," he muttered.

**"**Why don't you just let me handle this one alone?" she asked. He let out an aggravated sigh.

**"**Because you've handled the last four vanquishes alone. I swear, you should've never let them move out," he shot. Piper just rolled her eyes at him.

**"**Hey, you don't see me complaining," she said.

"I'm happy for them. And you should be too. So where is this demon and what is its name?" she added.

**"**No one knows its name. And it's too strong for one witch to handle alone," he replied. Just then the door opened a little and Darryl stuck his head in.

**"**How much longer is this going to take? I've got a lot of angry construction workers out here," Darryl asked. Piper looked over at Chris.

**"**Go see what Phoebe's doing," she said and he disappeared in orbs.

**"**Where'd he go?" Darryl asked, looking surprised.

**"**Hong Kong," Piper answered. Darryl's eyes bulged.

**"**Hong Kong?" Darryl rasped.

"This is the last time I work ground control for you guys," he muttered and shut the door. Chris reappeared with Phoebe at his side, dressed in a stylish red kimono.

**"**Hi! Wow, look at you," Piper exclaimed, pulling her younger sister into a tight hug.

**"**Oh, how's Wyatt? I miss him so much," Phoebe said after they broke the embrace.

**"**He misses you too," Piper answered and then looked at Phoebe guiltily.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked.

**"**No, this is a great time," Phoebe replied.

"Jason's away at a conference, I was just practicing my origami. This is a tiger, you can have that," she rambled, handing the tiger to Piper.

"I'm so sorry I didn't visit," she concluded, catching her breath.

**"**Don't be silly. You've obviously been really busy folding…things. I'm sorry I have to ask for your help, but..." she began but Phoebe cut her off.

**"**No, it's okay. I mean, if you don't enter the tiger's cave, you may never get the cub, right?" Phoebe interrupted.

**"**What?" Piper asked.

**"**Ancient Chinese proverb. Means nothing ventured, nothing gained, you know?" Phoebe explained and Piper nodded in understanding.

**"**That's great, really it is. But can we get the show on the road here?" Chris interjected.

**"**Sure," Phoebe answered and looked at Piper.

"Keep that," she added, pointing to the tiger. With a breath, she turned back to Chris.

**"**Okay, what do you want me to do?

**"**You're the bait," he began

"All you have to do is levitate into the air and when this demon senses your magic, it's going to come fast and hard," he finished. Phoebe nodded.

**"**Okay. Be careful with my origami. That tiger took me two damn hours," she said. Piper set it on a ledge far away from Phoebe.

**"**Okay, let's do it," he said. Phoebe backed up a few paces before rising high into the air. She looked around as a strange sound began to rumble beneath them. Seemingly from out of nowhere a giant green blob burst from the floor and began to engulf Phoebe.

"Blast it!" Chris ordered and Piper happily obliged. Phoebe lowered to the floor and heaved a sigh.

"Thanks, I didn't think you'd blow it up in time," she gasped. Piper nodded and coughed as she opened the door.

**"**All clear!" she announced. She, Phoebe and Chris walked a little ways out of sight and orbed back to the Manor.

Piper stood by the sink, trying to get the goo out of her hair. Phoebe stood in a bathrobe and toweled her hair off too.

**"**Maybe you should just take me out back and hose me down," she suggested. She succeeded in making Piper laugh. Just then Prue walked in.

**"**Oh God, I'm so sorry I'm late," she apologized.

"Did I miss the vanquish?" she asked.

**"**Ask her," Piper answered, pointing to Phoebe. Phoebe crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her oldest sister.

**"**Hi!" she said excitedly.

**"**Hey Pheebs. How are you?" Prue asked.

**"**Great," Phoebe replied, sitting down at the center island.

**"**How's Jason?" the older of the two inquired.

**"**He's great. How's the new apartment?" Phoebe answered.

"Uh…it's quiet…and big. I was meeting some of the neighbors and I had some work to do and…I can't believe I missed the vanquish," Prue rambled.

"It's ok. We handled it," Piper assured her.

"So, spill. How is Hong Kong?" Prue pressed.

**"**Fascinating. I'm studying numerology and the Chinese zodiac. But you know, distant waters don't quench the immediate thirst," Phoebe sighed.

**"**What…" Prue trailed off and Piper interrupted.

**"**Ancient Chinese proverb," Piper said.

**"**Just means that I miss my family," Phoebe rephrased.

**"**Well, that's good because your family misses you too," Piper stated.

"I mean, I don't have a lot of people to hang out with aside from my baby who doesn't really say much and then one really neurotic Whitelighter," she expanded.

**"**Yeah, how is my little buddy, Chris. Last time I saw him he wasn't in such good shape," Phoebe asked.

**"**He's trying his best to hide it, but he's still really shaken up," Piper answered.

**"**Well, he lost his fiancée, you know, I don't blame him, it's huge," Phoebe said.

**"**There's something in the future that's really freaking him out," Pure interjected.

**"**Yeah, he's more determined than ever to protect Wyatt from evil which means there's a new demon hunt everyday," Piper grumbled.

**"**I feel like such a bad sister, leaving you guys alone to handle all this," Phoebe sighed.

**"**No, we're fine. Wyatt and I actually enjoy having the Manor to ourselves," Piper replied.

**"**Really?" Prue laughed. She couldn't believe Piper actually enjoyed being alone.

"Yeah, I mean, we have room to spread out and life is very quiet and calm and best of all, everything stays clean," she explained. She moved to put the clothes in the washer and a small blob of goo from the vanquish slid off the clothes and out of view.

**"**Well, if we're hanging out, I guess I should go change my clothes. I think I left some here," Phoebe said and stood up.

**"**I'll go with you," Prue said and both disappeared up the stairs. They reached Phoebe's room and opened the door to find it full of gym equipment.

"What…what happened to my room?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Uh**…**I guess when Piper said she was spreading out, she wasn't joking," Prue murmured.

**"**But where's all my stuff? I mean, I have stuff, you know, lots and lots of stuff," Phoebe whined, waving her hands about.

**"**You can borrow something from my room until we straighten this out," Prue said.

"Wow…after thirty years she finally willing gives me clothes," Phoebe teased.

The headed for Prue's room to find it full of Wyatt's belongings. Leo sat in a rocking chair with Wyatt in his lap while Chris leaned against the wall. Prue's eyes bulged out of her head when she realized her room had been transformed as well. Phoebe was focused on Wyatt as she picked up out of his father's arms.

**"**This one too?" Prue asked, sounding annoyed.

**"**Yeah, you move, you lose it in this family," Phoebe answered.

**"**You could lose a lot more than a bedroom when this is over," Chris interjected. Prue rolled her eyes.

**"**Hi, Chris, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Prue snapped.

**"**It's his job to offer his opinion," Leo stated.

**"**You know the only reason why she's even here is Prue missed a vanquish," Chris said, addressing Leo.

**"**Another one?" he asked and Chris nodded.

**"**Yeah. So that's…five in a row now?" he said.

"I already apologized downstairs," Prue muttered.

**"**When did you two become so chummy?" Phoebe questioned. None of them noticed the small blob of goo slither out of the vent and land on Chris' shoe.

**"**We're not chummy," Leo answered.

"It's just he's gone through a lot protecting Wyatt and I figured instead of doubting him I should help him a little," he expounded just as Piper walked in.

**"**So what do you guys think? Do you like Wyatt's new room?" she asked. Prue and Phoebe both looked at her.

"It's…nice.I just liked my room more," Prue answered.

"Yeah…you didn't tell us you'd totally changed everything," Phoebe added.

**"**Well, you guys were the ones that moved out, not me," she reminded them.

**"**So where are my clothes?" Phoebe asked, pulling the thin robe closer around her body.

The girls headed up to the attic and Piper pointed to several boxes on the floor. Both Prue and Phoebe sink to their knees and begin to look through them.

**"**God, it's really kind of hitting home." Prue sighed.

**"**What's that?" Piper asked.

**"**Well, that I don't live here anymore," Prue answered.

**"**I know what you mean," Phoebe agreed.

"I guess the apartment doesn't feel like home yet. I just…miss you guys and being here. It was more fun," Prue admitted.

**"**Yeah…'cause this place is a riot," Piper said with a laugh.

"That's not what I meant. I just missing being here, being in the thick of it all," Pure muttered just as Piper opened a box and pulled out a pair of red go-go boots

**"**Wow, Pheebs. These are some boots," she commented. Phoebe shook her head but reached for them.

**"**They're not mine, but I wish they were. They are hot," Phoebe replied.

**"**The box says 'Penny'," Prue stated and her brow furrowed.

"You think it means… Grams Penny?" she asked.

**"**No way. I refuse to believe that Grams ever wore anything this hot," Phoebe rebutted.

**"**Yeah, I figured her more for steel toed orthopedics," Piper laughed.

"You know, the better to kick your ass with sort of thing," she added.

**"**They're your size, Prue, try them on," Phoebe said, handing them to Prue.

**"**Uh no.I don't think so," Prue refused.

**"**Oh, come on, just do it," Phoebe prodded. Prue glared at her but took off her own shoes.

**"**They scream the sixties," Prue said, looking at them skeptically.

**"**So what's wrong with the sixties?" Phoebe asked.

**"**The sixties were the worst fashion era," she said, pulling on the boots.

"Horrible clothing, bad hair, and extremely questionable personal hygiene," she finished.

"They fit," Prue said and disappeared instantly in a puff of smoke.

**"**Where'd she go?" Phoebe asked.

Before she knew what was happening, Prue found herself in a slightly familiar bedroom. A woman stood not far from her, surrounded by an array of colors.

**"**Um, excuse me," Prue called.

**"**Hold on, I'm adjusting my aura. You know how those blocked shockers can get," the woman said.

"No…not really," Prue mumbled to herself just as the light disappeared.

"There we go…oh my boots! You brought them. Right on," she said excitedly.

**"**Actually…it was more like they brought me," Prue explained.

**"**Yeah**…**that's because I cast a return to owner spell on all my favorite stuff. I'm always taking my clothes off and forgetting them somewhere these days," the woman said with a laugh.

**"**Not to sound rude but…who are you?" Prue asked.

**"**Oh sorry. I'm Penny," she said.

**"**As in Penny Halliwell?" Prue questioned.

**"**Yeah, who are you?" Penny answered.

**"**I'm Prue. I uh…I've heard a lot of good things about you," Prue replied.

**"**Far out," Penny said. Prue gave a little laugh and looked around the room. She spotted a calendar that read January 1965.

**"**You have no idea how far out," Prue gasped just as a woman with short blond hair stuck her head in.

**"**Penny, come on The Whitelighters are putting on a light show," she said. Penny jumped with enthusiasm.

**"**Come on, Prue. You don't want to miss this," Penny said and dragged Prue down the stairs.

In the present, Leo and Chris were glaring at the girls.

**"**What do you mean you lost Prue?" Chris demanded. Could this day get any worse?

**"**Well, it was really weird. I mean, one second she was here and the next second... poof. She was gone," Phoebe explained.

**"**It happened after she put on a pair of Grams' old boots," Piper added.

**"**Grams used to cast a spell on her clothes when she was younger. To uh…return them to her," Leo muttered, clearly embarrassed.

**"**Wait, you knew Grams when she was young?" Phoebe asked. Leo cleared his throat.

**"**We crossed paths once or twice when I was a young Whitelighter," he admitted.

**"**Ew," Piper groaned.

**"**PiperI barely remember it," he said. Piper just made a face at him and Phoebe shuddered.

**"**Well, if the boots did belong to your grandmother, then we better summon her from the dead. Maybe she can tell us what happened to Prue," Chris interjected.

**"**Okay, let's get the candles," Phoebe said and headed for the supplies. Piper stood there, gawking aft her.

Back in 1965, Prue, Penny and her friend stood on the bottom step watching as several Whitelighters made shapes out of orbs. A dozen or so people sat on the floor observing.

**"**Out of sight," Penny said. The blond tapped Prue on the shoulder.

**"**I'm Robyn, by the way. So what do you think?" she introduced herself. Prue looked around and her gaze fell on one particular Whitelighter.

**"**Oh my…is that Leo?" she gasped. He was wearing very sixties attire and his hair was long and blond. Penny nodded.

**"**You know him?" she asked.

**"**I thought I did," Prue rasped as the show ended and everyone began to clap. It was then that Prue noticed the mass of people throughout the Manor.

"What are all these people doing here?" she asked.

**"**Oh, they're not just people," Robyn said.

"They're witches, with a few Whitelighters thrown in," she explained.

"Just out of curiosity…do any of them know how to open a time portal?" Prue asked.

**"**Anything's possible when you free your minds. That's why we're gathering here tonight for a magical be-in," Penny answered.

**"**Oh ok," Prue mumbled.

"Like the human be-in," she muttered.

**"**How do you know what's gonna happen at the human be-in? It's tomorrow at Golden Gate Park," Robyn asked.

**"**I just kind of know things," Prue answered.

**"**Do you have an active power?" Robyn inquired.

**"**Yeah…a couple. I can astral project and I have telekinesis," Prue replied.

**"**Groovy," Penny said. Leo had overheard the conversation and looked at Prue.

**"**Right on. Why don't you show us what you got," he said with a wink. The look made Prue cringe..

**"**Fine. If it will help me get out of here," she said. She waved her hand at the tape player but it didn't move. She looked embarrassed.

"Damn it…no powers in the past," she muttered to herself, remembering the time the Elders had send her and her sisters back to the 1600s to save Melinda Warren.

"Uh…I guess my powers must be down….or something," she muttered.

**"**Performance anxiety," Leo whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Listen, if you want some private coaching, there's an empty room upstairs if you dig," he said.

"Uh…ew. Get off of me before I kick your Whitelighter ass," she said, pushing him away.

**"**You okay, honey?" Penny asked in a concerned tone.

**"**Yeah. I don't know how I'm going to get home without my magic though," she sighed. They headed into another room to see a guy levitating in the air playing a guitar

"I've never seen so many witches just hanging out," Prue mumbled.

**"**Wait till the magical be-in. This house was built on a spiritual nexus. We're gonna tap into its power tonight and ride the magic wave," Penny said with a grin.

**"**Are you sure you're Penny Halliwell? And you're sure you want all these witches in the Manor at the same time?" Prue asked as the room froze except for Robyn. She looked to her left to see a warlock blink in.

**"**Everything on schedule for tonight?" he asked. Robyn nodded.

**"**They're lining up like lambs to the slaughter," she laughed.

**"**It's going to be a massacre," he snickered.

**"**I wish we could take them out now. I can't stand these peace lovers," she complained.

**"**Just keep it together a little while longer, we want this place packed," he told her. He looked over at Prue.

"I see a few new arrivals since my last visit. This one's dressed a little strange, don't you think? Where's she from?" he commented.

**"**I don't know. She just got here," Robyn answered.

**"**Well, keep an eye on her. The attack takes place on schedule tonight. And if you need anything, I'll be close by," the warlock told her and disappeared. The Manor resumed its motion.

**"**So what do you say, Prue? Join us tonight?" Penny asked.

"I don't know. I'm not really into all this free spirit stuff. I really need to get home. If you could help me with a time travel spell that would be really…" Prue began but was cut off by a car horn and Penny's squeals.

**"**Oh! Allen's back!" she squealed and dragged both Prue and Robyn outside. A large rainbow colored van was parked on the side of the street and Allen climbed out. He wore an open shirt and leather vest.

"Hi," Penny greeted.

**"**Hey!" Allen replied, picking her up and kissing her.

**"**Where's Patty?" she asked.

**"**I dropped her off at my sister's, she's going to crash there tonight," he replied.

**"**Patty, like your daughter. Isn't she like fifteen?" Prue asked.

."How do you know how old Patty is?" Allen asked.

"I…saw a picture inside," she answered. He nodded and looked closer at her.

**"**Janice?" he asked.

**"**Excuse me?" Prue replied.

**"**I just came back from my sister's pad, and for a second I thought I was looking at her again," he answered.

**"**Prue, this is my old man, Allen. He's not a witch, but he's cool with it.," Penny explained.

**"**Allen…your first husband," Prue muttered.

**"**My first and only. I'm not that into free love," Penny answered.

**"**Listen up everybody! I passed this groovy drum circle on the way here. Who wants to check it out?" Allen called, catching the attention of the people outside.

**"**Count me in," Penny said.

**"**I think I'm going to work on finding a way home. The Book of Shadows is in the attic right?" Prue stated.

**"**I swear, it's like you could be my sister," Allen repeated. Prue just gave a forced smile.

**"**You can't leave now. We need as many witches as possible tonight," Robyn protested.

**"**She's right, Prue. Come with us. Who wants a ride on the rainbow bus?" Penny said. Prue ended up getting caught in the throng of people getting into the van.

In the attic in the present, Phoebe had just finished lighting the candles. Piper stood beside her, wringing her hands.

**"**You know, if I hadn't taken over Prue's room, this never would've happened. This is all my fault," she sighed.

**"**What's done is done," Leo and Chris said in unison.

**"**Okay, you two really need to get a room," Phoebe laughed, pointing the lighter at them.

**"**Yeah," Piper agreed.

"Just say the spell," Chris urged.

"Here these words, here my cry, spirit from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." Phoebe recited. The green goo on Chris' shoe began to multiply and cover his entire foot. Just as Grams appears in the circle of candles. His foot pulled him towards her as Grams became corporeal.

**"**Well, it's about time you called to say hello," she chided before hugging them both.

**"**We've got a problem." Piper said. Grams looked over at Chris to see the blob starting to inch up both legs.

**"**Well, you're not the only one," she commented.

**"**Orb out," Leo told him but Chris shook his head.

**"**No, magic makes it grow. Summoning her spirit already gave it power," he answered.

**"**Oh, you must be Chris, the new Whitelighter," Grams said. She turned to Leo.

"You know, he doesn't look very qualified for the job," she added in a disapproving tone.

**"**Chris, just let me blast it," Piper argued.

**"**She's right. Orb," Phoebe added.

**"**Oh, for heaven sakes, listen to them. We'll find a way to vanquish the foul thing later," Grams snapped. Chris orbed out just as Piper blew up the blob. It scattered into a million pieces and slipped beneath the floorboards. Chris orbed back in and tried to catch his breath.

**"**Oh…that's not good," Phoebe said.

They headed downstairs, Leo and Chris leaving the girls and Grams alone.

**"**Both you and Prue moved out? When?" Grams railed.

**"**Uh, a few weeks ago. But we're handling everything," Phoebe replied. Grams let out a snort.

"Darling, you have Prue stuck in the past and a demonic blob roaming the Manor. Exactly how are you handling things?" Grams demanded.

"We're still adjusting," Piper muttered

**"**There would be no need for adjusting if you were all living under one roof," Grams grumbled.

"Why in heaven's name did you move out?" she asked.

**"**Me? To be with Jason. You said it yourself, never give up on love, remember?" Phoebe answered.

"And I think Prue moved out because you know, she's in her mid thirties and it's what people do," Piper added. Grams let out a huff.

**"**I didn't say give up on your sisters," Grams snapped and looked at Piper.

"How can you let them move out?" Grams demanded.

"Hey…you know honestly…It wasn't that hard. We all deserve a shot at a normal life," Piper answered.

**"**None of you normal, Piper. When are you going to learn that?" Grams railed.

**"**Well, I guess never," Piper answered.

**"**All this over men. How many times have I told you? Men are utensils. You use them, wash them, and throw them in a drawer until you need them again," she grumbled just as Leo and Chris walked in.

**"**Everyone quiet," he said. He and Chris were moving stealthily towards the wall. All eyes wee on them as Chris leaned closer.

**"**I can hear it. I think it's in the wall," he whispered. The wall next to him cracked and a sound gurgled forth.

"Yep, it's in the wall,' Leo agreed, sitting on the edge of the couch.

**"**Okay, we're going to need Prue. It took the power of three to vanquish this thing in the future," Chris admitted.

**"**What? If you knew that, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Piper shot.

"Because I could barely get two of you together, let alone three," he shot back

"Besides, this thing's not that big right now and I thought two could handle it," he replied.

**"**Leo, you take point. Chris here is much too green to guide my girls," Grams commented.

"What? You know what, you can just stop right there. You don't know anything about me," Chris spat.

**"**Quiet. It's time to give this floundering ship a rudder," she said and looked at Piper and Phoebe.

"Now, which boots did Prue put on?" she asked.

**"**Red go-go boots," Piper answered.

**"**Thenwe've got a problem. Those boots took Prue back to the summer of love, which was one of the most crucial times of my life," Grams said.

**"**What do you mean crucial?" Phoebe interjected.

**"**Your grandfather, Allen, rest his soul, was a sweet man, but he lead me straight down the hippy-dippy trail," she replied.

**"**You were a flower child?" Phoebe snorted.

**"**Yeah, well, don't rub it in. What's important is that Allen was killed by my best friend. I didn't know it then, but she was evil. And I walked in right after it happened," Grams rambled.

**"**What'd you do?" Piper interrupted.

**"**Well, let's just say that my peacenik days ended fast, along with that bitch Robyn. If she hadn't killed Allen..." she answered but trailed off.

**"**You'd still be a flower child," Leo filled in for her.

"Yes and the Charmed Ones would be dead," Grams said.

"I know I've been tough on you but it kept me alive to protect you from all the demons that came after you when you were little," she sighed.

"Ok…I cast a return to owner spell on a lot of clothes that summer so…" she began, putting the memories behind her.

**"**So we get to go back there? We get to meet our grandfather?" Phoebe interrupted excitedly.

**"**Yes well don't make too much out of it because whatever you do, you can't change the past or tell anyone you're from the future," Grams answered.

**"**Well, why does he get to?" Phoebe asked, pointing to Chris.

**"**Because I know what I'm doing," Chris answered.

**"**Not from where I'm standing," Grams muttered.

"I'll stay here with Leo and the newbie to contain the slime, until you can bring Prue back to vanquish it, okay? Okay, go girls, get dressed. You are going to the summer of love" she said.

In 1965, everyone had congregated in the park and Allen had just finished reciting a poem to the beat of the drums. Prue looked around at all the witches and she nearly jumped when she saw Phoebe and Piper appear.

**"**Hey, groovy girl. We've been looking for you," Piper called. Prue stood up and rushed to her sister's side.

**"**Welcome. I'm Penny. Any friends of Prue's are friends of ours. But you shouldn't use magic so openly," Penny greeted.

**"**That's Grams?" Phoebe hissed in Prue's ear and she gave a small nod.

**"**I'm Allen. Peace and love," Allen said, holding his hand out. Phoebe mirrored his gesture.

**"**Oh, yes, love. Lots and lots of love. I have so much love for you, man, you have no idea," she rambled.

"Are you here for the happening at the Manor tonight?" Penny asked.

"Oh…no. Were just looking for our friend, Prue here. Excuse us for a second," Piper answered and dragged her sisters away.

**"**I'm so glad you guys found me," Prue breathed.

**"**We need to get out of here," Piper said just as police sirens blared and several cop cars pulled up.

**"**It**'s**the pigs," Allen yelled. Several officers stepped from their cars One of the officers held a megaphone.

**"**Okay, everybody, let's break it up. Let's go, everybody out. Move it!" he boomed.

**"**This is a park, man. You can't control God's green earth," one of the guys shouted.

**"**Well it's the tax payers' green dollars that pay for this park and you're loitering. So move it," he answered through the megaphone.

**"**Hell no, we won't go! Hell no, we won't go! Hell no, we won't go!" the large group chanted.

"They have no right; they have no power, turn their hate sticks into flowers." Penny chanted and watched as their batons became bouquets of flowers.

**"**Let's jam. If the cops catch us we'll miss tonight," Robyn said, pulling Penny away from the crowd. Phoebe looked at Piper and panicked.

**"**Piper, freeze them," she squeaked. Piper flicked her hands but nothing happened.

**"**I can't," she answered. With that they found themselves in handcuffs behind hauled away.

**"**Prue, come on," Penny said, pulling Prue along with them. Sometime later, Phoebe and Piper sat in jail.

**"**If what's happening tonight at the Manor is what I think it is, then this could be the night that Grandpa dies," Piper said.

"Great, we come back just to watch him die. It's so depressing," Phoebe bemoaned.

"Let's hope Prue gets us out of here first. Because I don't know about you but I don't want to be raised by that flower child we saw in the park," Piper ranted.

"I hear you. We'd never make it to puberty," Phoebe groaned. Just then they saw a man with a large afro eying them strangely. It looked exactly like Darryl.

**"**You don't own me! You think you own me! But the man will never own Luther Morris," he howled.

"I said keep it down!" the guard shouted back.

Back at the Manor, Prue was pacing around while Allen and Robyn watched.

"Ok…there has to be a way to get them out of jail," Prue rambled.

**"**Stay cool, Prue. We've all been hassled by the pigs. It's a right of passage. They'll let your friends go... after a night in jail," Allen said calmly.

"Yeah ok, that's not comforting," Prue muttered as Penny walked in with a box of crystals.

**"**Okay, everybody, it's time to prepare for the party. Take a crystal, bless it and hide it outside the Manor. We need form a perimeter," she explained. People began grabbing crystals and heading outside.

**"**What are those?" Robyn asked nervously.

**"**They are pyrite crystals. They resonate a harmonic tone when exposed to evil. Kind of like a demonic alarm system," Prue explained automatically.

**"**How did you know?" Penny asked.

"I've used them before," Prue mumbled.

**"**Wait a minute.I thought our gathering tonight was a peaceful one," Robyn asked.

**"**I want to give peace a chance as much as anyone, Robyn, but I'm not dumb. Do you know how many covens are coming tonight? We'll be sitting ducks," Penny replied seriously. Prue smiled a little bit.

**"**Right," Robyn mumbled and walked away.

"I would really love it if my friends could come tonight. If there's anything that we can do to help them," Prue begged.

**"**I tell you what. I got a friend who's an A.C.L.U lawyer. I'll call them. Right after we set the crystals," Allen offered.

**"**Thank," Prue said.

Back in the present, Grams, Chris and Leo are gathered in Wyatt's bedroom. Wyatt sat in his crib staring at them.

**"**Here's the way I see it. We're all targets for the slime. We need a plan to control it until the girls get back," Grams said.

**"**In the future, everyone tried to control the demon with no name. But it can't be done," Chris told her.

**"**That's hardly a winning attitude, young man. And why in heaven's name couldn't the people in the future find some name for that thing?" Grams scoffed.

**"**Speaking of the future, what's so awful that happens to Wyatt?" Leo tried to segue.

"You know I can't tell you that," Chris shot immediately.

**"**Come on, I'm an Elder," he pressed.

**"**Excuse me boys but can we get back on point…controlling the slime? I'm taking suggestions," Grams said. Wyatt pulled himself to his feet and reached for the bottle sitting on the table next to him.

"We could orb it to an ice drift," Leo offered. Chris did his best not laugh.

"Nah, that's bad," Chris answered.

"It's not bad, it's awful. You can't orb that thing, it feeds on magic," Grams snorted.

"So what's your great idea?" Chris shot.

"Are you giving me lip?" Grams asked sternly.

"No," Chris answered. He looked over just in time to see Wyatt orb his bottle into his mouth. The slime burst through the wall and tried to reach out.

"No!" Chris shouted and Leo grabbed Wyatt just in time. The slime hit the lamp instead and recoiled in pain. They all raced down the stairs, trying to avoid falling pieces of ceiling.

**"**Hold on. I think it's stopped," Leo said quietly.

**"**Get Wyatt out of the house. If it tries to follow, I'll fire off an orb or two to distract it," Chris said and turned to Grams.

"You ok with that?" he asked

**"**Yeah, it's just what I had in mind," she replied.

**"**Good," he said. Leo held Wyatt close to his chest and moved towards the front door but didn't get far. The slime slithered up the windows, blocking the doorway completely.

Back in jail, Phoebe and Piper sat waiting for Prue to show up. So far, she hadn't appeared.

**"**Any sign of Prue?" Phoebe grumbled.

**"**Nope. We're not going to reach her before Grandpa's attacked," Piper sighed. Phoebe looked over at the guard and an idea hit her.

"Maybe we **s**hould we try a spell?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Why not? Let's try a spell," Piper sighed.

**"**Leave it to the man to lock the brother up with the crazies," Luther muttered, peering at them from his cell.

"Come to me and be seduced, I have a girl to introduce, fall for her you can't resist her, trust me mister, she's my sister." Piper chanted.

**"**Why me?" Phoebe hissed.

**"**'Cause he's not my type," Piper answered. Phoebe rolled her eyes.

**"**Oh," Phoebe muttered. She looked at the guard as he walked towards the cell.

"Hi," she said seductively.

**"**Hi," the guard replied.

**"**You know what I think is really hot?" she asked and he shook his head.

"A guy in a cage. Yeah. Why don't you come in here with me?" Phoebe finished.

"Alright," he said and opened the cell door.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered and he complied.

**"**Hey now. Luther don't want to see this," Luther protested. Phoebe tossed Luther the shirt.

**"**Put this on. You're going to lead us to freedom, Luther," she said. He pulled the shirt on and began to button it up.

"Abrother could get used to this," he muttered to himself.

**"**Socould a brother's son," Piper snickered.

In the Manor, Leo had cornered Prue in the hallway.

**"**There's my little psychedelic sunshine. Are you ready for your private session?" he asked, pulling her close.

"Ok…what part of don't touch me or I'll kick your ass don't you get?" Prue snapped. He laughed.

"Look…have you seen Allen. I need to ask him if he talked to his lawyer friend yet," she said.

**"**My name is Leo, like the zodiac sign," he said, ignoring her question.

"Astrologically speaking, Leo represents the sun constantly burning and highly energetic," he continued.

"You're so lucky I don't have my powers right now or else I'd astral project you into the sun," Prue hissed.

"So how about it?" Leo purred. Prue felt bile rising in her throat.

"Just tell me where I can find Allen," she snapped. He pointed her towards the stairs and she wandered upstairs. In the attic, Robyn finished casting a spell.

"And so I call upon the crone, let evil roam inside this home," she finished just as Allen walked in behind her.

**"**I thought you were acting strange," he commented.

**"**Allen, are you spying on me?" she asked, giving him a small pout.

**"**How could you, Robyn? What about our dream?"

**"**Please. My only dream is helping my warlock friend put all of you weak creatures out of your misery tonight," she laughed, bouncing a fireball on her palm. She hadn't expected Prue to walk in.

"Hey!" Prue called, distracting Robyn. She sent the fireball in Prue's direction but she dodged it quickly.

**"**Violence isn't the answer, Robyn. Let love replace your fear. I know you felt our love," he begged. Prue couldn't help but snicker at how hippy her Grandfather really was.

**"**Yeah…and I still got the stink of it all over me," Robyn spat.

**"**Hey bitch, over here!" Prue shouted. Robyn turned and formed a second fire ball. Prue knocked over a can of marbles and they sent Robyn flying onto her back. The fireball landed squarely on her body, vanquishing her instantly. Allen went tumbling backwards from the blast just as Piper and Phoebe rushed in.

"Allen!" Prue gasped, rushing to his side.

**"**I'm alright," he said standing up.

"Uh…what did I just do?" Prue groaned.

"Oh, nothing much. Just changed our entire future," Piper snapped, smacking her on the arm.

"Or maybe erased it," Phoebe sighed.

Back in the present, Leo and Chris rushed into the kitchen, Wyatt still in Leo's arms. Grams was nowhere to be seen.

**"**What'd it do? Split in half?" Leo wondered.

**"**How do we get out?" Chris asked, not answering Leo's question.

**"**I don't know. Orb?" he suggested but Chris shook his head.

"Were you not paying attention before?That thing almost swallowed me whole last time," Chris remarked.

"What do you think, Penny?" Leo asked as footsteps stopped in the doorway. Grams is dressed in light tie-dyed sixties clothing.

**"**I think love conquers all. I think that we should take the demon into our arms and make it feel safe," she said, opening her arms up. Leo and Chris exchanged a nervous look.

**"**Leo, could I talk to you for a second, please?" Chris asked, nodding his head in the direction of the sink.

"Sure," Leo answered and turned to Grams.

**"**Do you mind holding him for a second?" he asked and she took him.

"Come here, moonbeam," she said, bouncing him.

**"**Wyatt. His name's Wyatt," Leo replied and joined Chris.

**"**One of the sisters must have changed the past because Penny clearly never meant to change from flower child to demon hunter," Chris sighed.

**"**Clearly," Leo stated dryly.

"Think the girls can fix the timeline and get back here?" he asked. Chris shrugged as the slime slithered up the back door, causing the glass to crack a little.

**"**I don't know," Chris replied.

"But this thing is trying to back us into a corner. Take Wyatt and Joan Baez here into the conservatory. I'll get what we need to fight it off," he instructed. Leo ushered Grams out of the room while Chris grabbed the blender from the counter.

In 1965, the girls and Allen were sitting in the attic when Penny walked in.

**"**Has anybody seen Robyn? We've got a lot...," she asked but stopped when she saw Allen rubbing his head.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Robyn…she sort of…attacked," Prue explained.

**"**Are you hurt?" Penny gasped, rushing to Allen's side.

**"**No, I'm alright. She said something about a warlock attacking tonight," he said.

**"**So? That's no problem. We have a house full of witches," Piper stated.

**"**Piper's right, you could all take on the warlock. You just need to fight," Phoebe agreed.

**"**It's not who we are. We don't believe in murder," Penny refused.

**"**No, neither do we, but we do believe in vanquishing evil," Phoebe responded.

**"**I'm sorry, I don't see violence as a solution to anything," Penny replied.

**"**Let's go, Penny, let's send everyone home. I don't want anyone else getting hurt," Allen sighed and ushered her out of the room, leaving the girls alone.

**"**Oh, she is driving me nuts. That is not the Grams we all know," Phoebe grumbled.

**"**The Grams we know found her husband dead tonight," Piper stated.

"Yeah…have I said how sorry I am about screwing up the timeline?" Prue asked.

"Yeah…we know you didn't mean to," Phoebe said.

"Ok…well we need to figure out what to do to keep Grams from staying a flower child forever," Piper said. Phoebe walked over to the Book of Shadows.

**"**Well, it's a lot thinner than we're used to but I'm sure we can find something in here to help us make a potion," she said.

"I'll help you," Prue said.

**"**I'll be downstairs on the warlock watch," Piper said and headed out of the attic.

In the present, Grams, Leo and Chris are clustered around a massive pile of kitchen appliances in the dining room.

**"**Why isn't it attacking? It's like it cornered us and now it's just waiting," Leo asked, looking worried.

**"**I think we need the toaster oven," Chris said and Leo headed to grab it.

**"**You know, that's a disaster waiting to happen," Grams commented, holding Wyatt.

**"**That's the idea. You saw how the slime reacted to electricity," Chris began as Leo tried to find a place to plug the toaster in.

"Well, if we can get it to attack this pile, maybe we can zap it," he added.

**"**If I can find a place to plug it in," Leo muttered, finally finding a free socket.

**"**No offense, you know, but my dear Allen would have taken the path of peaceful resistance. Have you tried talking to the slime?" Grams said calmly.

**"**No, I haven't, and you shouldn't either," Leo answered and looked over at Chris.

"But if you're up to some light conversation, maybe you wanna tell me what happens to Wyatt in the future," he said, hoping to get some information out of Chris.

**"****N**ice try," Chris said with a smirk as Leo finally got the plug into the socket. Unfortunately the toaster overloaded the circuits and the fuses blew.

**"**Damn it!" Chris cursed.

**"**I told you, boys, violence is not the answer to anything," Grams said.

**"**Where's the fuse box?" Chris asked.

**"**It's in the basement. Find a flashlight in the laundry room," Leo answered. Chris disappeared but not for long. He'd looked in the basement.

**"**Leo!" Chris called and footsteps pounded out of the other room.

**"**What is it? What is it?" Leo shouted, joining Chris.

**"**The slime, in the basement feeding on the Nexus," Chris answered.

**"**How big was it?" Leo asked. He opened the door and flashed the light on the floor. The slime covered the entire floor. He hurriedly shut the door.

"Really big," he gasped.

**"**Yeah. Big," Chris agreed and they backed up.

In 1965, Allen and Penny are seeing the last few guests out.

**"**We are going to make history," one of the women said, giving Penny a hug.

**"**I know, honey," Penny sighed and shut the door behind her.

**"**We need to talk," Piper said from the living room. Allen and Penny joined her, sitting down.

**"**I agree. We need to talk with the warlock and find a path of peaceful resistance to resolve this situation," Allen said.

**"**The first thing my Grams taught me was not to reason with demons," Piper said.

**"**Your grandmother fought demons?" Penny asked, looking shocked.

**"**Yeah. She was a great woman. Kept us safe when we were kids. And she knew that you can't reason or negotiate with demons. They kill, and they keep killing until a force of good stops them," Piper explained.

**"**If your grandmother hurt other living creatures, she doesn't sound to great to me. I'm sorry," Penny said.

**"**Penny's right. You can't be a savior and a murderer at the same time," Allen agreed.

**"**Really? What if a demon attacked somebody you loved, like your daughter? Would you fight then?" Piper asked. She knew how much Grams loved their Mom and how much she would have given to save her from the water demon. Suddenly the room froze and the warlock blinked in. He looked around and let out a growl.

**"**Where are all the witches? Where in the hell are all the witches?" he shouted. He waved his hand and the room unfroze.

"Where are they?" he repeated angrily.

**"**Well, that depends on who you're looking for," Piper said with a smirk.

**"**Everybody!" he shouted.

**"**We sent them home. The Manor's yours, we won't fight you," Allen said, his arms widespread. With a glare, the warlock sent Allen flying, tumbling to the ground and Penny gasped.

**"**Do something," Piper yelled.

"May peace and love, from the moon above, flow through your heart, on the wings of a dove," she chanted. The warlock froze Penny and Piper and counteracted the spell.

**"**Did you just try and cast a love spell on me? I'm a warlock. What is this world coming to?" he scoffed.

Allen stood up and got the warlock's attention. He formed a fireball and sent it hurtling at Penny. Allen pushed she and Piper out of the way, taking the hit directly to his back.

**"**No. Allen!" Penny sobbed, clutching his fallen body.

**"**Your turn to join him, sweetheart," he laughed just as Phoebe and Prue walked in.

**"**Hey," Prue shouted. She threw a potion vial at the warlock and sent him flying across the room. Phoebe tossed hers but he blinked out just in time to avoid being hit.

**"**I think he's gone," Phoebe said.

**"**For now," Prue muttered and Piper stood up.

**"**This isn't right," Piper said, a worried expression on her face.

**"**What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

**"**Grams flew into a rage when she found Grandpa dead. It-it made her what she was. Does that look like a demon killer to you?" Piper answered, pointing to the weeping woman on the ground before them.

In the present, Chris and Leo are standing around. Chris held two stripped wires in his hand.

**"**If the demon comes at us, I'll try and hold it off with this," he said. Behind them, Grams opened the basement door and stepped forward with a candle.

**"**Don't be afraid of us. We won't hurt you," she called.

**"**Penny, get back!" Leo shouted but the slime grabbed her and sucked her into the basement.

In 1965, Penny stood, mixing a potion while the girls looked on. It was a quiet and somber scene.

**"**How are you so calm right now? It's okay for you to be angry, that warlock killed your husband," Phoebe said.

**"**I am angry, at myself," Penny replied.

"That's why I'm mixing a binding potion," she added.

**"**Binding your magic is not the answer," Piper said firmly.

**"**It is for me. I tried to save Allen and I failed. What good is my magic if it can't save my family?" Penny said sadly

**"**It's a lot of good. You can use it save innocents. Would Allen really want you to give up what you love so much?" Prue asked.

**"**It doesn't matter, he's dead. No one will ever compare to him. I'll probably end up hating men for the rest of my life," she grumbled.

**"**Well, she's got us there," Piper snickered.

**"**Magic can save your family. I mean, my sisters have saved..." Phoebe began but Penny caught her goof.

**"**You said these were your friends. What's going on? Who are you?" Penny demanded.

**"**Don't," Piper hissed.

"Can't change history," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

**"**It's a little late now, isn't it? We're your granddaughters," Prue answered.

**"**Hi, Grams," Phoebe said with a wave.

**"**I'm your Grams. The demon hunter?" Penny asked and Piper nodded.

**"**Yeah, and these boots, brought me from the future.," Prue said.

**"**And these earrings," Piper added.

**"**And this ring," Phoebe concluded.

**"**No, you're trying to trick me," Penny said, wiping at her eyes.

**"**No, afraid not, Grams. Look, it's payback time. You need to get your act together," Piper said.

"We love you but if you don't start fighting now, all the people we're meant to save..." Piper continued but the warlock blinked in and threw a fireball at the potions.

**"**You didn't think I'd forget about you?" he laughed.

**"**Those were our potions," Piper groaned. Phoebe ran towards him but he blinked out before she could land a kick. She ended up colliding with a wall. He blinked back in.

"Ow," Phoebe groaned.

Back in the present, Leo and Chris are doing the best to keep the demon at bay. They both leaned against the basement door. Chris still held the wires in his hands.

**"**Wyatt's secured in the living room. There's no sign of the demon in the rest of the house," Leo reported.

**"**I figured it was distracting us before so he could feed on Nexus," Chris said.

**"**What about Penny? Is she...?" Leo trailed off.

**"**I don't know," Chris replied just as the slime tried to creep under the door. Chris zapped it and it shrunk back. It tries to sneak out again and he zapped it again. It just kept coming faster and faster.

"I can't keep up with it, we've got to get out," Chris aid.

**"**No, we have to keep fighting. It's what Penny would want us to do," Leo refused to leave.

In the past, Prue and Piper went flying into the coffee table by the warlock. He shook his head in disgust.

**"**Not quite the slaughter I expected," he sighed as the girls stood up.

"But it'll have to do for a night's work," he continued. He formed a fireball but Penny walked up behind him.

**"**Stop," she called and he turned around to face her.

**"**You going to cast another love spell?" he taunted. She pointed her finger at him and flicked her hand. He went flying across the room.

**"**Well, it's about time," Phoebe said happily.

**"**Like you said, Piper, it's okay to fight for someone you love, right?" Penny called. She waved her arm again and the warlock flew across the room in the other direction.

**"**Welcome back to your destiny, Grams," Prue called.

Penny sent the table crashing down on the warlock as well as a vase and a chair.

**"**Now she's just showing off," Piper laughed.

**"**Okay, the grandfather clock," Phoebe instructed. The large clock toppled forward and crashed down on top of him.

**"**What do I usually do at this point?" Penny asked, slightly short of breath.

**"**You usually do something very final if you catch my drift," Phoebe replied. Penny nodded and thought a minute.

"Snuff this warlock, his days are done, but make him good for the ecosystem." She chanted. He exploded into a pile of flowers.

**"**Now that's what you call flower power," Piper laughed.

**"**Not exactly ruthless but a fine start," Prue praised.

**"**That was for Allen. So, now what?" she asked.

**"**Now we have to get home fast because we have a slimy demon of our own to deal with," Piper replied.

**"**How are we going do that? No spell to send us back," Prue commented.

**"**Grams just has to reverse the spell," Phoebe answered.

**"**Glad to know I have groovy grandkids," Penny said with a smile.

"Just the same, I think I'm going to work on a forgetting spell for after you go. You know, keep the cosmic order," she said.

In the present, Leo and Chris were losing their grip on the door. Leo looked over at Chris.

**"**Get out of here, go," Leo ordered.

**"**Not without you," Chris answered, shaking his head.

**"**This thing's going to swallow you whole," Leo said.

**"**Most likely," Chris answered just as the Charmed Ones reappeared.

**"**Stand back, fellas," Piper said. They got out of the way as quickly as they could.

"Drawing on the power of three, destroy this evil entity." Prue chanted. The slime writhed in pain and let out a screech as it was vanquished.

"That's all you could come up with?" Chris asked.

"Well it's more than you did," Prue countered.

"Yeah…but you have to admit…that was kind of lame," Chris remarked. Prue just swatted him on the arm.

**"**Where's Wyatt?" Piper asked, looking around.

**"**He's in the living room," Chris answered.

**"**What about Grams?" Phoebe asked.

**"**She didn't make it." Leo replied, looking at the ground. Suddenly, the door to the basement opened and Grams walked out, coughing.

**"**Nonsense. You can't damage an old war horse like me. I'm already dead," she laughed.

**"**Yay, Grams, I'm so glad you're back," Phoebe exclaimed. Just then Wyatt began to cry in the other room.

**"**Hey there, sun god," Prue said with a wink.

**"**Hey, that was a long time ago. Let's just keep that between us, okay?" he asked and she nodded. Just then footsteps sounded from the other room but all six of them were still in the room.

**"**Hey, I wanted to thank you two for not giving up the fight. I'm really proud of you boys. You did good," Grams said before disappearing. The footsteps kept coming and Piper looked nervous as a familiar figure came in holding Wyatt.

"Andy?" Prue coughed out. He gave her a broad grin, bouncing Wyatt in his arms. Prue just stared in shock.

"How…why? Am I in some alternate world…again?" Prue rambled.

"No…the Angel of Destiny brought me here…the fates decided we deserve another chance, Prue," Andy answered.

"So you're what…a whitelighter?" Phoebe asked. Andy shook his head, handing Wyatt over to Piper.

"No…I'm mortal," he answered. Prue smiled and walked towards him.

A while later the girls were upstairs putting Wyatt to bed.

"You guys heading out?" Piper asked after a few minutes of silence.

**"**Home is a relative term, but yeah, we're heading out," Prue answered.

"You and Andy huh?" Piper asked and Prue blushed.

"Yeah…." Prue answered.

**"**I should get back and finish my origami dragon," Phoebe said.

**"**Yeah, I understand. Well, you guys know you always have a home here and a room when you want it back. I mean, if you want it back," Piper said. They all hugged and Prue astral projected Phoebe back to Hong Kong before resuming space in her body and heading out with Andy. Just as she left, Leo walked in.

**"**Everything alright?" Leo asked.

**"**No, it's not. I mean, I know it seems to them that I'm moving on with my life and everything's fine but it's not true. I wish they were still here," Piper sighed.

**"**You should tell them that," Leo whispered.

**"**No, I shouldn't. I should just go to bed. Good night," Piper replied.

**"**Good night," Leo said and watched Piper leave the room. He bent down over Wyatt and brushed his hand over his son's head.

"Good night, moonbeam," he whispered.


	10. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell

The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell

She toyed with the sleeve of her jacket as she waited. She knew he didn't have a lot of time, he had to get back to Hong Kong. Phoebe let out a sigh and checked her watch. Piper had asked her and Prue to stop by the preschool too.

"Phoebe," Jason called. Phoebe shot up from her chair and closed the gap between them in seconds.

"You're here," she said.

"Yeah…what is it? You said it was urgent," he replied.

"I think you should sit down…" she trailed off. Maybe that wasn't the best way to start this conversation. He looked at her but sat down slowly in a chair nearby. She sat down too but immediately stood up and began to pace.

"I….there is something I've been meaning to tell you," she began, her hands wringing with anxiety.

"Ok. I'm listening," Jason said, leaning back in the chair.

"There's no easy way to say this…I'm…a witch," Phoebe finally blurted. There, she'd said it. It was out in the open and there was no turning back. He blinked several times before opening his mouth.

"What?" he managed to get out.

"I'm a witch," she repeated.

"I know it sounds crazy but…it's the truth," she added hastily.

"You…this has to be some kind of joke," he mumbled. She shook her head.

"It's not," she replied and slowly levitated into the air. Jason nearly fell out of his chair.

"How…how did you do that?" stammered.

"Magic," she answered.

"This is….really insane," he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I know….it's kind of a lot all at once," she said when Jason's phone rang. He pulled it out, seeming ecstatic for the interruption.

"Yeah?" he said, getting up and walking away from her. She waited silently for him to finish. He hung up and looked at her.

"I have to go…" he mumbled and walked out. Phoebe let out a groan and sunk into his chair. That had not gone well at all. She sat there for a minute or two more before realizing she needed to go meet Piper and Prue at the preschool.

Some time later both she and Prue were walking into the room, Prue trying to comfort Phoebe. Piper spotted them and hastily flagged them down.

"So uh…what exactly are we doing here again?" Prue asked.

"Supporting Wyatt. The school looks for that when the father isn't around," she answered.

"But Leo is around," Phoebe commented.

"Well yeah for Wyatt but he won't be for the schools," Piper answered. Phoebe nodded. They stood in silence for a minute before Piper picked up on Phoebe's expression.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"She just told Jason about being a witch and he didn't take it so well," Prue replied.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry," Piper said.

"It's ok…you know….I'm sure he'll come around," Phoebe said.

"So why do you look like you're a wreck?" Prue asked of Piper.

"Oh you know…just that I'm raising an anti-social child," Piper answered. Phoebe and Prue looked over to see Wyatt playing by himself.

"He's not anti-social, he's just…playing by himself," Phoebe tried to brush it off.

"I just…how am I supposed to do this…when he knows he has powers…how am I supposed to keep him from orbing out of a play date?" Piper rambled.

"Ok I think that's a little extreme Piper," Prue began to rebut when Wyatt disappeared in orbs.

"You were saying?" Piper snapped, dragging her sisters out of view.

"Anybody got a potion?" she hissed. All three of them opened their purses and began to root through them.

"I have one," Prue announced softly. She'd remembered to make a new batch over the weekend. She joined hands with her sisters and threw the potion on the ground. In a puff of smoke they reappeared in the Manor. They saw Wyatt sitting at the bottom of the stares.

"Honey, you can't keep doing this," Piper said, bending down to pick him up.

"Uh Piper…" Prue said, causing her sibling to look up. There in the middle of the stairwell was a door.

"What the hell?" she groaned. The door handle started to jiggle and Piper handed her son to Phoebe.

"Get him out of here," she ordered. Phoebe headed for the sun room just as the door opened and balding man in black robes appeared.

"Oh thank goodness you're home," he breathed just as the sound of hooves stopped behind him. He turned to see a headless figure atop the horse wielding a sword. He grimaced as the blade cleaved his head from his body. His body fell into the space and his head rolled down the stairs.

"What just happened?" Prue asked.

"I have no idea," Piper replied. She slowly reached down and picked up the man's head. She looked around and spotted the front hall table.

"Move those," she ordered and Prue picked up the vase of flowers. As carefully as she could, Piper set his head down.

"You're so kind," he said as she set his glasses back on his nose.

"Yeah…so…who are you…and why was there a door in my staircase?" she demanded.

"In all the panic I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sigmund. I'm one of the teachers at Magic School," he explained.

"Magic what?" Piper shrieked. Just then the front door opened and both Chris and Andy walked in. Prue looked over at them. They seemed to be deep in discussion until they saw Sigmund's head on the table.

"Why is there a decapitated head on the foyer table?" Chris asked.

"Because it would have been rude to leave him on the stairs," Prue replied.

"Well…put it somewhere else," Chris snapped, heading for the kitchen. Prue raised her eyebrow at Andy.

"I don't know…he's…moody," Andy answered.

"Piper, Wyatt is safe in the…oh my god," Phoebe rambled, spotting Sigmund.

"There's a Magic School," Prue blurted.

"Whoah ok…slow down. Does that have anything to do with the head on our table?" she asked.

"Uh well yes. You see…someone's let loose the Headless Horseman on campus," Sigmund supplied just as orbs fluttered into the room, depositing Leo.

"What are you doing here?" Prue asked, knowing Piper had asked him not to come around.

"The Elders thought it would be best if I helped you handle this situation. We have been following it," Leo answered.

"Oh, Leo, so good to see you," Sigmund said.

"Sigmund?" Leo asked, looking surprised.

"I'm afraid the horseman got me," he answered.

"We need to get him back to Magic School," Leo said. Piper let out a groan but they followed Leo up to the door that remained in the stairway.

"Oh…hang on," Prue said and headed for the kitchen.

"We're going to Magic School. You boys interested in coming?' she asked.

"Magic School?" Andy asked. Prue nodded and he shrugged. Chris on the other hand didn't move.

"What's your problem today?" Prue muttered.

"Nothing, ok. Nothing is my problem," he shot back. Prue held up her hands and backed away slowly.

"Ok…well could you go get Wyatt in the sun room?" she asked and walked out. He sighed but wandered into the next room and picked the child up in his arms. Wyatt looked up at him as Chris headed for the stairs.

"Magic School," he sighed and Wyatt frowned a little. Chris couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah…you and me both," he whispered as he crossed the threshold. The door shut behind him and he nearly tripped over Sigmund's body.

"Sorry!" the head called from the sack Piper had grabbed.

They walked down a seemingly endless hallway. Chris just kept his eyes on the ground. He should have said he didn't want to come. Perhaps he could get out of it. They had finally reached an enormous set of double doors. Chris handed Wyatt off to Leo and started to back up.

"Ok well, I have some things to take care of," he said and started to walk away.

"Chris, you're their whitelighter. They need your guidance," Leo said.

"Why can't you help them? You handle the horseman, and I'll get back to hunting demons," Chris responded.

"The demons can wait, Chris. This is more important," Phoebe said. Leo gave Chris a disapproving look as they walked into the Great Hall. It was filled with students wandering around and a few teachers watching over them anxiously. Piper set Sigmund's head down on a table and pulled the sack down around his neck.

"The Charmed Ones. Thank you for coming," a voice said. The girls looked around but didn't see anything.

"Gideon, I believe you still have your invisibility shield up," Leo commented. Suddenly a man with dark hair wearing robes similar to Sigmund's appeared before them.

"My apologies. I must have forgotten with all the chaos here," Gideon apologized. He looked at the girls and gave them a smile.

"You probably don't remember me. You were just little girls when we last met," he said.

"And you are?" Prue asked defensively.

"Gideon. I run Magic School," he answered.

"Gideon is an Elder," Leo supplied. It was then that Gideon noticed Sigmund's head.

"Oh Sigmund. I'm so sorry," he said.

"Thank you Sir. But it didn't stop me from delivering the message. Perhaps you'd like to orb me over with the other heads," Sigmund responded. Gideon nodded and waved his hand. Sigmund disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

"So…how would a demon get into Magic School?" Phoebe asked.

"It wouldn't. Evil cannot enter the school grounds which is what worries me," Gideon replied.

"So it could be a student," Piper said.

"I would like to think not. There aren't any students with that type of power," Gideon rebuked.

"Ok…look…how about we check the Book of Shadows and see what we can find," Prue suggested. Her sisters nodded and she astral projected back to the Manor to grab it. When she returned, Leo and Wyatt were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Leo go?" Prue asked.

"Took Wyatt to the magical nursery," Piper grumbled.

"Ok well I have the book so let's get going," Prue said.

"Why don't I show you to the library? You're welcome all of the books we have," Gideon said and pointed the girls in the direction of the library. He turned back to Chris and Andy.

"If you will excuse me," he said and disappeared in orbs.

Andy and Chris were left standing there amid the hustle of the room. Chris shoved his hands in his pockets and didn't say anything. Finally Andy spoke up.

"What do you think of Gideon?" he asked.

"I feel like I know him but I can't place him. Why?" Chris answered.

"You just looked a little uneasy around him," Andy answered.

"It's this whole place. I just…I don't like being here," Chris admitted.

"Hey…what exactly were you trying to tell me earlier?" Andy pressed after a brief minute of silence.

"I…I haven't been entirely truthful with the sisters about who I am," Chris blurted.

"Then shouldn't you be talking to them about this?" he asked.

"I guess I want some…moral support," Chris replied.

"Ok…" Andy trailed off.

"I…I'm Piper and Leo's son," Chris whispered in case anyone was listening.

"You know Leo and Piper aren't together anymore right?" Andy asked. Chris stared at him in shock. He just spilled his big secret and all Andy could think to say way stating the blatantly obvious?

"Yeah…that's the problem. I've been going to oracles and soothsayers and they've all been telling me if I'm not conceived in the next month or so, there will be no me," Chris explained.

"Ok…yeah that could be a problem," Andy said. Chris bit back a smile. Was Andy trying to be the king of understatements of year?

"I have an idea," Andy said with a smile.

"Ok," Chris said tentatively.

"How about we go see what Gideon is doing. I didn't get a really great vibe from him either," Andy offered.

"What is this…some lame attempt at uncle-nephew bonding?" Chris laughed, immediately covering his mouth.

"Well…it's nice to know some things change," Andy chuckled, clapping Chris on the shoulder before they headed in the direction Gideon had gone. In the library, the Charmed Ones were surrounded by piles of books. Leo had since joined them and was conversing with some of the students that were milling around.

"Don't they have somewhere else to be?" Piper grumbled as she slammed the Book of Shadows shut. They weren't going to find anything in there. A small part of her hoped Grams' spirit would flip the book open to the page they needed but that didn't happen.

"Ok…so I don't think it's demonic. I mean if evil can't get into the school, how would it be able to control the horseman?" Prue asked.

"So it's a student," Phoebe stated.

"What are we supposed to do? Go ask every student if they've conjured any headless apparitions lately?" Piper scoffed.

"Hey, stop socializing and be our whitelighter for a minute," Prue called over to Leo. Leo excused himself from his conversation to join them.

"Chris should really be helping you with this," he began but Piper cut him off.

"Chris is busy," she said.

"If we were going to look for a student that would have the amount of power needed to conjure the Headless Horseman, where would we look?" Prue asked.

"Probably the advanced magic class," Leo sighed.

"Ok…great so let's start there," Phoebe said.

"Why are you in such a hurry," Piper asked.

"I want to talk to Jason again…I mean…I know he needs some time but…" Phoebe rambled.

"Pheebs, give him some space and some time. Believe me. He'll need it," Prue said. Phoebe let out a sigh. Prue was right. She was the one after all who had the most experience with mortal guys and magic. All three girls looked over at Leo. He didn't look pleased that they wanted him to help interrogate students but he motioned for them to follow him.

In his office, Gideon sat down, Sigmund's head in front of him on the desk. Both were silent for a minute.

"Sir, may I ask what is wrong?" Sigmund asked.

"It appears I have not done well enough in covering up my plans. I believe Chris may be onto us," Gideon answered with a sigh.

"Onto us? How so?" Sigmund asked.

"He is on edge and I can sense he is reluctant to be here," Gideon answered.

"No matter. Our plan will succeed. We simply need to move our timetable up a bit. We need to strike now," Gideon said, standing.

"Do you really think trying to eliminate the boy now is wise?" Sigmund asked.

"Shouldn't we be more worried about the fate of the school?" he added.

"Sigmund, my dear boy. Think about it. If a student with considerably less power than Wyatt has managed to conjure the horseman, then just imagine what Wyatt could do if allowed to grow up,' Gideon explained.

"The sisters are busy with the horseman and Leo is at their beck and call," he added. He would make sure Chris and the mortal were kept occupied as well. Little did the Elder know but Chris and Andy had been eavesdropping. Both backed away and out of view just as Gideon opened the door and headed in the opposite direction.

"We have to stop him," Andy hissed.

"You need to go warn the sisters. I'll handle him until they get there," Chris said; ready to split up with his uncle.

"Are you sure you can handle him?" Andy asked in concern.

"Just hurry and get the sisters. Maybe if we're lucky the horseman will beat us to it," Chris muttered and the two men went their separate ways. Chris followed Gideon at a safe distance to the nursery. Andy, after asking a couple of students, headed for the library but found the sisters had already left.

"I think the Charmed Ones went that way," a student said, noticing Andy's confused expression.

"Thanks," Andy said and headed that way. By now, the girls and Leo had reached the class.

"Ok so do we have a plan here?" Piper asked.

"Uh…anyone makes any sudden movements, you freeze. Phoebe, see if you can get any strong feelings from anyone and we'll go from there," Prue said. It was the best of plans but it was better than nothing. Prue pulled open the door and they walked in to find a bunch of kids just goofing off.

"Uh, hi there," Prue called loudly. The kids stopped talking and looked up.

"Wow, the Charmed Ones," one of the boys said in awe. His comment earned him several snickers and rude remarks.

"Ok. I'm sure you all know about the horseman running around on campus," Phoebe began.

"What? Did they send you to lecture us?" one of the other boys asked.

"Hey, cut the attitude," Piper snapped.

"I'm so scared," he shot back.

"Don't make me freeze your wise ass," she threatened.

"Yeah right," he muttered. Piper waved her hand at him and he froze.

"Mmm," she said, looking around at the rest of the class.

"Anyone else want to try me?" she asked and they all shook their heads. Piper flicked her wrist again and the boy unfroze.

"Look, we don't know who is conjuring the horseman. But if I had to guess, it's probably someone a lot more powerful than any of us," a girl in the back said. Just as Phoebe was about to say something there was a whinny in the doorway and the horseman waved his sword around.

"Piper, freeze it!" Phoebe said. Piper threw her hands out but it didn't do a thing.

"I'm trying," she said. The students watched as the horseman separated head from body of each sister. It turned on Leo but he orbed out just in time. The horseman turn around and sprinted out of the classroom, disappearing from view.

"Crap," Piper groaned.

"Leo!" Phoebe called but he didn't reappear.

"Chris!" Piper shouted.

"Chris get your whitelighter ass in here!" she added and she got no response. She looked over at Prue as best she could.

"Andy?" she tried and got a response. Footsteps thundered in the hallway, depositing Andy in the doorway.

"Oh…this is not good," he said.

As best he could he picked up their heads and carried them out into the hall. He spotted a table and situated each of them on it.

"What happened? I thought it only attacked teachers," Andy said.

"Yeah well I guess whoever is conjuring it thought we were a threat too," Prue answered.

"Well we have another problem. We overheard Gideon talking…" Andy began.

"We? Who is we?" Piper demanded.

"Chris and I. Anyways we overheard him talking…we think he's going after Wyatt," Andy explained.

"Why would he go after Wyatt? He's an Elder…" Phoebe said, trying to laugh it off.

"Look, Chris said he'd keep Gideon busy as long as he could but we're going to need your help. So if you can think of a spell or something to just get rid of the horseman…and deal with who conjured it later…it would be really good," Andy rambled.

"Ok just…give us a minute," Prue said.

"Would you mind?" she added, trying to nod her head in her sister's direction.

"Yeah," Andy said and turned them so they were facing each other. They conversed for a few minutes.

"Ok…stand back," Piper said. Andy took several large strides away from them. Before their eyes the horseman reappeared.

"Power of Three unite, to end this grisly fright. Reverse the roles and make us whole," they chanted. The horseman vanished and their heads disappeared from the table. By the sounds of voices in the classroom, Andy assumed they had been made whole again. The girls were on their feet in seconds. Piper looked behind her and threw her hand out, freezing the room.

In the nursery, Chris had watched Gideon talk to Mrs. Winterbourne and pick up Wyatt. He followed him as he moved into a second room. It was empty. Gideon set Wyatt down in a small chair and just looked at him for a while.

"I truly am sorry my boy," Gideon whispered, producing an athame.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chris asked, stepping into view. Wyatt looked at him and smiled a little.

"I don't believe it any concern of yours," Gideon answered, standing to his full height and facing Chris.

"Really? I think it is," Chris spat back.

"It is for the Greater Good," Gideon told him.

"How is turning him evil for the Great Good?" Chris demanded.

"Turning him evil? You think that is my intent?" Gideon scoffed.

"Well it's what happened," Chris countered heatedly.

"I assure you it will not happen," Gideon promised. Just outside the nursery Leo appeared and nearly collided with Piper.

"What's going on?" Leo asked.

"Gideon…he's after Wyatt," Piper answered in a quick breath.

"That's absurd," Leo scoffed. Piper didn't answer him. She pushed past him and stormed into the nursery.

"Where is my son," 'she demanded.

"Gideon is playing with him in the play room over there," Mrs. Winterbourne answered.

Piper nearly bowled the woman over to get to the room. She flung the door open to see Chris confronting Gideon. Wyatt spotted her and disappeared in orbs. He reappeared in her arms.

"Gideon, what's going on?" Leo asked.

"I assure you it is not what you think," Gideon replied.

"You lying son-of-a-bitch!" Chris spat and charged the man before him. Both Leo and Andy had to pull him away before he did something stupid.

"Why would you want to hurt an innocent child?" Prue asked as she and Phoebe crammed into the room as well.

"He is much too powerful," Gideon gasped, still shocked from Chris' attempt.

"We're his parents. Let us decide that," Piper hissed, holding her son closer to her.

"Piper is right, Gideon. We're his parents. We know what's right for him," Leo said, still holding onto Chris.

"I am not the only one who believes the child possesses too much power," Gideon called.

"This isn't over," Leo said coolly, leading Chris out of the room.

"You should have told me what you heard," he whispered in the young man's ear.

"You wouldn't have believed me," Chris shot.

"I don't understand though, if Gideon wanted to hurt Wyatt…how did he end up evil?" Phoebe asked.

"Wyatt is smart. He probably would have tried to escape," Andy offered. They left Gideon standing there, athame still in hand. None of them noticed tow other Elders appear and take him away.

"I think now would be a good time to tell them," Andy hissed in Chris' other ear.

"Did you handle the horseman?" Chris asked.

"Well we vanquished it but we still don't know who conjured it.

"I did," a voice called. They all spun around to see one of the boys from the advanced magic class standing in the hallway.

"You're freeze wore off," he added.

"Why would you conjure the horseman, Zachary?" Leo asked.

"I hate it here," he said. Phoebe gave him a smile and pulled him aside.

"I know how you feel. School can be tough," she said.

"I didn't want to come here but he made me. I just wanted to leave and it was the only thing I could think of to shut down the school," Zachary admitted.

"Well I think you can go home. Come on," Phoebe said and they all headed back to the Manor.

Several hours later the girls had reunited Zachary with his parents and informed them to keep in touch if they needed anything.

"Well…it looks like we accomplished a lot today," Prue said. Just then there was a knock at the door. Phoebe pulled it open to reveal Jason.

"Jason," she said, sounding surprised to see him there.

"Can we talk?" he asked. She nodded and let him in.

"I know I sort of freaked out this morning," he began, not noticing the rest of the family spying.

"You had every right to freak out…" Phoebe interrupted.

"I've done some thinking…is it…it something that you can get rid of?" he asked. His question made both Andy and Prue cringe. Phoebe's face fell.

"No…it's who I am, Jason. Just then Andy walked into view.

"I know what you're going through," he said looking at Jason.

"Who are you?" Jason asked.

"A friend of the sisters. I know your next question is probably 'will her children be witches too?'. Yes, they will. You can't change who she is," Andy explained.

"I…I'm sorry Phoebe but…" Jason mumbled.

"It's ok, Jason. I understand. Thank you for everything you've done for me," Phoebe said, pulling him into a tight hug. They shared a few more parting words and he left.

"You ok?" Prue asked, wrapping her arms around Phoebe.

"I will be," Phoebe answered.

"Uh…can I talk to you for a minute?" Chris asked, looking at the sisters and Leo. They all headed for the conservatory.

'Please don't tell me we have more demons to hunt," Piper grumbled.

"No…no demons. I'm pretty sure we saved Wyatt today," Chris answered.

"So I guess that means you get to go back to your time then," Leo said.

"Yeah…but there is something I have to tell you first," Chris aid, looking to Andy for support. He gave a nod.

"I…" he began, looking at Piper and Leo.

"I'm your son," he said.

"W-what? " Piper stammered.

"My son? I don't understand," Leo breathed.

"It's not that hard to figure out," Chris shot. Without saying anything, Phoebe stood and wrapped her arms around Chris.

"I thought you were too neurotic not to be a part of this family," she murmured.

"But…when?" Piper rambled.

"Yeah….about that…uh…in the next month or else well….there is no me," Chris answered.

"Oh…." Piper said. She couldn't fight back a smile.

"Come here," she said, pulling him into a hug of her own.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back, holding her tightly. He just hoped he'd see her again in his own time.

"I wish you had told us sooner," Leo said. Chris turned to look at his father.

"So what, you trust me now?" Chris asked.

"You're my son, Chris. I trust you. You saved your brother and that's all that matters. I'll have two healthy boys," Leo said, beaming. Chris was pulled into an awkward hug by his father.

"Ok…thanks now let go," Chris protested. Prue caught Andy smiling like the Cheshire cat in the corner.

"Ok…what do you know?" she demanded.

"Nothing you don't," he assured her.

"So how do we send you back?" Phoebe asked.

"Anxious to get rid of me?" he teased.

"No…I just thought you would want to get back to see what you had changed," Phoebe replied.

"There isn't a spell to send me back," he muttered.

"That's not a problem. We'll write one,' Piper answered.

Evening fell and they all stood in the attic, ready to send Chris back to his own time. He smiled down at Wyatt.

"Be good," Chris murmured. Piper picked up Wyatt's hand and waved goodbye.

"You're sure this going to work?" he asked, looking at the sisters.

"It worked when we went back to the past," Prue answered. He nodded and took a deep breath.

"A time for everything and everything its place. Return what has been moved through time and space," they chanted. Chris slowly disappeared in white lights. Piper let out a breath as he disappeared.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Leo said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Well at least we know he loves his family," Phoebe said.

"Yeah…and loves to kick demon ass," Prue added.

"Yeah…" Piper sighed and looked down at Wyatt.

"You ready for a little brother there big guy?" she asked. He just gazed her.

"I think he had better be," Leo said.


End file.
